British PM’s tributes to Benazir

British Prime Minister Theresa May while addressing the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York paid rich tributes to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who according to her, was murdered by the forces of extremism, terrorism, intolerance implying also authoritarianism for standing up for democracy, tolerance and the values the civiliSed world eulogises. When British prime minister spoke at the world forum it had immense impact on the audiences and the world around because the speeches were instantaneously available to the people living in all corners of the world through the courtesy of the multiple media. Thanks Madam prime minister you have stolen the hearts of the people of this country in particular.

The people of Pakistan were also grateful of the British prime minister for focusing on the sufferings of the people inflicted by terrorists who had been out there to cause deaths and destructions. Her expression of solidarity with the victims of terrorism was commendable. Her reference to the resolve of the international community to defeat terrorism and extremism holistically would go a long way to further strengthen the commitment of the world to nip the evil sooner than later. Madam prime minister, thank you very much indeed again for highlighting the exceptional courage of the Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto demonstrated for the cause of democracy, tolerance and the values civilised nations share. Her underscoring the importance and urgency to defeat the scourge of terrorism must have won infinite number of well-wishers around the globe.

In this amazingly palatable environment, the distasteful twelve minutes video interview of Dictator General Musharraf the same day spoke volumes of his skewed up mindset alleging Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was murdered as a result of the conspiracy hatched by Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari as he was the sole beneficiary of her murder. His notoriety and sterility as spoiler was limitless as he did not give a scant consideration to the fact that the British prime minister was appreciating the great women leader of this country, and also articulating the necessity of defeating the evil of terrorism that deprived Pakistani nation from the leadership of Benazir’s stature. His unsavory interview was allegorical to fly in the ointment.

The heart-warming utterances of the British prime minister assumed added significance in the face of the US President Donald Trump’s indictment against Pakistan as responsible for all the troubles inside Afghanistan. The speech of the British prime minister might blunt the sharp edges of US president’s allegation against Pakistan of harbouring Afghan Taliban on its soil to carry out deadly attacks killing US troops along with inflicting military setbacks inside Afghanistan. It was not an ordinary event as Britain was not implicating Pakistan in the permeation of terrorism like the US. The readers may judge as whose cause General Musharraf was serving any way by stirring a controversy that was totally uncalled for at this point of time. He has become a liability for the nation, the institution as well as an embarrassment for the country due to his misguided, ill-timed and ill-tuned media interactions as an absconder.

If ‘he is brave’ and does not carry guilty conscience in the murder case of Mohtarma then he should come back to Pakistan, as suggested by the Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and face the case instead of living in foreign countries as an absconder.

The Mohtarma was quite aware of the dangers to her life because the forces of terrorism and authoritarianism were convinced that she was the only leader capable of foiling their designs against the people of Pakistan and the country. Their toxic ideologies had no prospects of success when Mohtarma was among the people of the country. Therefore, the anti-democratic forces were after her life. Before returning to Pakistan from Dubai, Mohtarma sent an email to Mark Siegel saying that if she was murdered these persons should be held responsible for her assassination that included General Pervez Musharraf as one of the prime suspects. General Musharraf did not want Mohtarma returning to Pakistan and to launch election campaign to be held early in 2008 because he perceived her mobilisation of the masses would pose credible danger to his own survival. He also warned her of dire consequences if she decided to return to Pakistan. Mohtarma returned to Pakistan contrary to his advice.

The first possible gruesome manifestation of the dire consequences of the dictator was the terrorist attack on her return to Pakistan when two powerful bombs exploded close to her truck at Karsaz, Karachi in which more than a hundred PPP guards were killed and many hundreds of them got seriously injured. Fortunately, Mohtarma survived but terrorists and their cohorts continued to follow her during the election campaign in pursuance of their sinister design. Mohtarma in her book had written that at that time the street lights in Karsaz locality were switched off and jammers were also not working because the telephone calls were being made and received. It was brought to the notice of authorities but to no avail. The environment was indeed wrought with dangers and two powerful explosions in the close proximity of Mohtarma’s truck proved exactly so.

The whole nation and indeed the world were in state of shock and deep grief when terrorists struck and their apologists succeeded in carrying out their conspiracy on December 27, 2007, Rawalpindi, when Mohtarma embraced martyrdom. The pattern of attack was typical. The firing targeting the Mohtarma was followed by two suicide bombers exploding themselves there. The staining of the hands of then higher level administration with Mohtarma’s blood got credence because the site of the crime was hosed after an hour or so on purpose. The apparent purpose was to destroy the vital evidence potentially affecting the investigations of the case in such a way as to deny the lead to apprehend the real culprits. It is inconceivable that professional police officers could take such a stupid decision like the hosing of the crime scene at their own initiative. Who gave the instructions to the police officers to hose the crime scene was an important link to get hold of the culprits. But, that is still a mystery. Hopefully, that missing link may be unearthed if Lahore High Court decides the high profile case that Anti-Terrorist Court could not.

Recently, the Anti-Terrorist Court has exonerated the “jet black terrorists” in the Mohtarma murder case and instead convicted the two police officers while declaring General Musharraf as an absconder. The decision of the court had hit the headlines in the international media raising the fingers on the credentials of the judicial system of the country to the utter dismay of the people of this country that even failed to deliver justice in case of murder of the leader of the stature of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. The case was apparently spoiled by design as the prosecutor officer, Zulfiqar Ali, who was professionally and honestly engaged to expose the real culprits was killed in Islamabad. All the chain of events led to an inference that the assassination of Mohtarma was a well-planned conspiracy at the higher level to eliminate the symbol of people’s power in the persona of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Undoubtedly, they succeeded in eliminating her physically but her legacy had become immortal that would continue to hunt them and their toxic ideology of extremism and terrorism.

Her blood did not go waste as the anti-democratic forces failed to circumvent the restoration of democracy in the country. She nurtured democracy with her blood. The anti-democratic forces could not thwart the movement of democracy in Pakistan at that time largely owed to the martyrdom of the Mohtarma because of the momentum generated by her in favour of democracy. The Co-chairman’s rallying call also persuaded the other democratic forces to contest elections as boycott might plunge the country into a vicious cycle of uncertainty and chaos. So, elections were held and democracy was restored in the country. The dawn of democracy in the country was the best tribute to the Mohtarma who rendered the ultimate sacrifice for the empowerment of the people of this country.

Mohtarma’s untiring struggle for the rights of the poorest of the poor in the face of ferocious dictatorships was exceptional by any criterion. She defeated the tyrant rulers with courage and steadfastness and empowered the people of this country and dethroned the tyrant. She proved her mettle as the greatest heir of the legacy of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who also stood by the poor against all odds amassed by Dictator General Ziaul Haq.

The writer Head of PPP Media Cell.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com