Unstoppable Benazir! Bombs & bullets can’t erase her legacy

Larkana: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the main opposition in Pakistan observed the 14th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Monday at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, which curiously has added ‘Bhutto’ to its name.

Despite coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) being followed, a public meeting is set to be addressed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, PPP leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and other party leaders.

Despite a lapse of 14 years, the mystery surrounding the assassination of the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was murdered after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh, could not be solved, and the case is still pending in the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench.

In the aftermath of the assassination, four inquiries were conducted into the high-profile case with the police joint investigation team (JIT), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the United Nations (UN) and Scotland Yard striving to solve the matter. However, these inquiries and investigations yielded no results. A total of 12 challans were filed in this case, 355 appearances were recorded, 10 judges were changed and 141 witnesses, including 68 prosecution witnesses, testified. 16 people were. accused in the case, but only eight of them were arrested. The main accused, Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a drone strike. Five other accused – Nadir Khan alias Qari, Nasrullah, Abdullah alias Saddam, Ikramullah, Faiz Muhammad Kaskat – were also killed in encounters with intelligence agencies at different places.