The Bhutto Murder Trail

Title: The Bhutto Murder Trail – From Waziristan to GHQ

Author: Amir Mir

Publisher: Tranquebar, 2010 (First)

ISBN: 9789380658612

Pages: 280

Benazir Bhutto combined glamour with political acumen and tact when she ruled Pakistan twice as its prime minister. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former prime minister and one of the country’s tallest politicians. Pakistan had been under military rule most of the time after independence. Even while democracy was exercising its brief stint, very few elected governments had completed its full term. The military controls all aspects of the administration, and is the largest institution in the country. This book narrates the assassination of Benazir Bhutto at the behest of the military, through a jihadi suicide bomber. It also tells about the devious ways in which independent investigations of the crime were thwarted. Amir Mir is among Pakistan’s foremost investigative journalists whose insightful writings on terrorism, Islamic militant groups and their links with the country’s military and intelligence establishment have drawn widespread attention. He started his career in 1988 and has authored three books on the subject of militant Islam and terrorism.

Pakistan army’s unbridled control on civilian power originated with Zia ul Haq, who came to power in a coup and hanged the prime minister who made him the army chief overlooking the seniority of several others. As fate would have it, his ascension coincided with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This new front in the cold war between the superpowers offered grand opportunities to Pakistan to enrich themselves both physically and militarily. U.S-funded jihadis fought the Soviets with the active support of Pakistan and its intelligence agencies. The jihadis successfully evicted the Russians after a decade of heroic battles. However, this military-militant nexus was to have far-reaching impact on Pakistan, which was slowly transforming into a theocracy. The top rung of the military were themselves ultra-religious with beards and all, and they handled the jihadis fresh from numerous madrassahs in the country for purposes that are hardly over the counter. Mir states that suicide bombers can be ‘rented’ in Pakistan for as little as $1000 apiece! The Pakistani establishment that ruled over the country included the top army brass, top officials of the civil service and the super rich. The common beliefs that unites this bunch are said to be that India must be countered at every turn; that nuclear weapons have endowed Pakistan with security and status; that the fight for Jammu and Kashmir is unfinished business from the time of Partition; that large-scale social reforms such as land redistribution are unacceptable; that the uneducated and illiterate masses deserve only contempt; that vociferous Muslim nationalism is desirable but true Islamism is not; and that Washington is to be despised but fully taken advantage of” (p.208). Very few authors display such a sharp intuition and power of analysis combined in this one statement! The country’s spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has a huge arm manipulating the country’s politics. It openly rigged the elections held in 1990, and brought in right-wing religious parties into power. As the relations between jihadis and Pakistani military soured after 9/11, Pakistan was forced to deal with the genie it had released from the bottle. Jihadis ran amok in the country, killing anybody they wanted – remember the horrific mass murder of students in a Peshawar school in 2014, in which 140 children were gunned down by the Islamists? Unable to stem the tide of the terrorists, the army often entered into treaties whereby they agreed not to attack each other. The book tells of such a treaty between the Pakistan army and Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of the Tehrik e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2005. Such peace treaties with the military emboldened the terrorists and are cited as a direct cause of the growth of terrorist organizations thereafter.

Benazir Bhutto had millions of supporters in Pakistan and many thousands of admirers and fans in other countries, including India. She went into exile to escape the victimization of the government out of which she was ousted in an unconstitutional manner. She returned to Pakistan in October 2007 to contest the polls scheduled for January 2008. A humongous crowd gathered en route of the journey from Karachi airport to her home. Assailants took a shot at her life by using a suicide bomber. Though Bhutto was miraculously saved as she was resting inside her armoured vehicle at the precise moment of detonation, 179 people lost their lives in the attack, including her supporters and security guards. Not content with the scant police protection, her party had recruited a corps of volunteers called Jaan Nisarane Benazir (JNB – ‘to protect Benazir’). She accused the government of Pervez Musharraf of masterminding the assassination attempt, but nothing came out of her repeated correspondence with the Establishment. Musharraf donned the double role of the President of the Republic as well as its army chief. Anyone who opposed him found his life extremely difficult to move on. The author himself was not allowed to work for any Pakistani publication from 2006 onwards after he refused to accept the award for Best Investigative Journalist from the hands of the military dictator. Instead, he worked for many foreign journals including Mumbai’s ‘DNA’. None of the culprits of the October assault on Benazir was nabbed. As the country stepped into a feverish pitch as the elections approached, the terrorists struck again, but this time with fatal consequences. On the evening of Dec 27, 2007, Benazir’s vehicle was attacked at Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi, with a terrorist first shooting at her from close range and then detonating a suicide vest. The author devotes much space to refute the government’s claim that she was killed when her head banged against the escape hatch of the armoured car through which she was leaning outside and waving to the ecstatic party workers surrounding the vehicle. Mir asserts that she was killed by gunshot wounds. Whatever it may be, the death was surely orchestrated by powerful elements in the Establishment. Astonishingly, no effort was employed to book the guilty. The Establishment was intent on scuttling the probe from the very outset. No autopsy was conducted on the body and the crime scene was immediately washed with powerful water jets by the fire brigade. Both were violations of established police procedure, but nobody took any notice! Even the government headed by her husband that came through the elections wanted to live the status quo rather than trying to ruffle feathers. As the police had no credibility whatsoever, an investigation by a special team from the Scotland Yard and a UN Inquiry Commission was called for, with limited mandate to investigate the murder. As can be expected, the military made it impossible for the investigators to collect evidence from crucial sources. Finally, the reports submitted by them could not pinpoint the architects of the crime. Amir Mir explains the intricacies in some detail.

This book is a reflection on the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan in 2010, when democracy had just returned to it. Far from a failed state, we can only surmise that parts of the state have become dysfunctional. There is still hope for Pakistan, but only if they fall back on reality and shed the sense of victimhood. Benazir’s last political speech is reproduced in the book. Readers will be surprised to learn that she is still referring to the Partition and the wars with India even in 2007! Benazir seems to be trying to exploit the people’s sense of insecurity with bold claims like Pakistan never lost a battle under PPP’s guard. This obsession with its eastern neighbour is an obstacle for easy and friendly relations with the two neighbours. Perhaps, they could take a glimpse on electioneering in India, where Pakistan is mentioned in only one context – terrorism! The author presents many details which should make international statesmen squirm with unease at the thought of a military having nuclear capability hobnobbing with Islamic fundamentalism and accommodates terrorists to fight their proxy wars. The book is easy to read, but lacks a defining overall structure. A good number of photographs are included and a basic index too.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 3 Star