The Scotland Yard probe has made no dramatic revelations. On the contrary it has concurred with what the Pakistani investigators had said in their preliminary findings before the job was assigned to the British detective agency. The PPP quarters which had from day one disputed the competence, or integrity of the local agencies to make a reliable probe, are now finding it hard to digest that what they had said long time ago has proved right, and there is no way they can doubt the authenticity of the Scotland Yard probe, even though they have been trying to find fault with its mandate which they say was limited and not enough to find the whole truth. Ironically, the Interior Ministry spokesperson has had the last laugh. He was lampooned by critics, more so by a hostile press, as he offered his explanation for the actual cause of Benazir’s death. Some critics had said he was naive enough to betray that he had no clue to what had happened, while others charged him with misleading people to cover up the real facts. The Scotland Yard report has vindicated the ability of Pakistani investigators to do as good a job as anyone else. Needless to say this puts to rest the widely circulated theory that Benazir was actually killed by bullet fire. The Scotland Yard report maintains that the bullet fire did not hit her, but she died on account of blast impact as her head dashed into some part of the vehicle.
PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman in her initial response to the Scotland Yard report said, “we neither reject it, nor endorse it’ but we are seeking a larger probe into the hidden hands that organised, financed, sponsored and perpetrated this event”. She also hinted at the possibility of hiring private international investigators to assist the party in this probe. It goes without saying that the PPP is not satisfied with Scotland Yard probe, or at least it publicly says it is not, and wants to reach the ‘mastermind’ behind the plot to kill Benazir. The PPP would also continue to pursue its demand for investigations under the UN auspices, although it is doubtful whether this demand would have the same appeal in international quarters in the aftermath of a probe by world’s leading detective agency. Small wonder the State Department spokesman said they had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the Scotland Yard report, and it was up to the government of Pakistan to decide whether there was any need for another probe. The PPP, under the circumstances, may or may not pursue the matter as vigorously as before, but it has kept the option open to blame the government for not letting the people know the whole truth about Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, and raise the question of the ‘mastermind’ behind the plot if and when it suits the PPP’s political interests.
The government claims that a number of ‘suspects’ involved in Benazir’s killing have been arrested, and investigators are trying to trace the sponsors. One may recall that the interior ministry spokesman had in its initial finding pointed an accusing finger towards the Waziristan warlord Baitullah Mahsud who was blamed for engineering suicides attacks across the country. More precisely it was said that intelligence agencies had reasons to believe that he was also behind the attack on Benazir Bhutto. Therefore as far as the government was concerned, Baitullah Mahsud has been identified as the ‘mastermind’ behind the plot to kill Benazir. Nevertheless, the PPP refuses to buy the government explanation, prima facie for the reason that Baitullah Mahsud has denied any involvement in attack on Benazir. Ironically it turns out be the government’s word against the Mahsud warlords word, and the PPP has to make up its mind who to believe.
The PPP’s refusal to accept the ‘Mahsud linkage’ has more to it than mere disbelief in the government word. The PPP wishes to use the ‘mastermind card’ as a political weapon and would not let the government off the hook by subscribing to the government version of who is behind the suicide bombers, more so the attack on Benazir. There are people within the establishment, the PPP would like to hold on, who wanted to eliminate Benazir Bhutto, as her return to politics posed a threat to their power and influence, and they could have hatched the plot to kill her. Benazir Bhutto herself had named ‘Ziaul Haq remnants’ as a potential danger to her personal security. So why should the PPP extricate the government as long as it can make political mileage from blaming elements within the establishment for Benazir Bhutto’s killing.
