ISLAMABAD: Nothing worse could have happened to Pakistan than what hit this country on Thursday. The word tragedy seems to have lost its meaning for how and at what juncture of our chequered history Benazir Bhutto has been killed. This is far greater than a tragedy. May Allah guard our country.
It’s a sad day for Pakistan and a sad day for the people of Pakistan. The country has lost one of its most popular political leaders at a time when it was preparing for general elections. Everyone is in a state of shock and no one is sure as to what is going to happen next. Thinking about the coming days sends a chilling wave down one’s spine. Already riots have broken in different parts of the country and there is an enormous damage to public and private property caused by the infuriated PPP supporters.
If we could survive this one of the most serious jolts of our political history? Do we have the kind of leadership that could bring Pakistan out of this quandary? Already Pakistan was passing through what could be termed the real testing times of its history that now we are struck by this disastrous event.
But the fundamental question is as to who did this to Pakistan. Finding an answer to this question is most crucial to soothe the feeling of the people, who are deeply hurt by this. Shifting responsibilities and blaming untraced and unknown “terrorists” would not mean anything. Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated at the same venue in 1951 but no one knows as yet who had conspired his killing. Let’s hope it does not happen in case of Benazir Bhutto.
After a lucky escape to the October 18 terrorist attack on her welcome reception in Karachi, her assassination in this fashion in Rawalpindi on Thursday is really upsetting and speaks volumes for the so-called security arrangements made by the government for the deceased PPP leader.
It was clear to all and sundry that Benazir Bhutto’s life was in danger. According to intelligence reports as quoted by the government and published in newspapers the other day, terrorists were expected to target Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif during their December 27 political rallies in Rawalpindi. When the terrorist attack was expected, then such a security lapse that resulted in the killing of the PPP leader is incomprehensible.
Already Rehman Malik, the chief security officer of Benazir Bhutto and former deputy director general of the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA), was talking of faulty security measures taken by the government. In particular, he has been pointing out that the jammers provided for Benazir Bhutto’s security were not working.
Much now depends on the government if it would act like sweepig things under the rug or would be sincere in its effort to expose those, who masterminded the killing of a national leader. Burden is also on the highly politicised intelligence agencies, who have been pointing out, off and on, that the “terrorists” are out to kill, to trace the real killers of the country’s leading political leader.
For political leaders and political parties of this country, this is high time to sit under one roof and help the people in healing this wound and not let it become fatal for the nation. It is important that at this point of time, we stand united as a nation and not let anyone to create any serious rift between the people living in different parts of the country.
Benazir Bhutto’s strength was that she was a national leader coming from interior Sindh. No matter if you were not agreeing to her policies and style of politics but the fact remained that she had following in all the provinces. Such a following for any leader is must for national cohesion that is the need of the hour.