Peshawar tragedy and BB’s assassination Huzaima Bukhari & Dr Ikramul Haq December 27, 2014 will mark the seventh death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. Since her assailants and conspirators behind the scheme remained unpunished, ghastly tragedy hit the country on 16 December 2014 in Peshawar. Those who extended policy of appeasement towards terrorists and religious fanatics are answerable to all those innocents who became victims at the hands of these barbarians. The perpetrators and their protectors deserve equal and exemplary punishment Since the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto on 27 December 2007, Pakistan has been continuously moving towards dreadful conflicts and grave crises, confirming that country lacks competent and devoted leadership that can pull it out of politico-socio-economic mess. The five-year (mis)rule of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) under Asif Ali Zardari substantially damaged the party—corruption reached new heights, mal-administration spread monstrously, law and order deteriorated to unthinkable level, institutional confrontations accelerated and economic woes of people multiplied, just to mention a few. The trend set by the PPP is continuing unabated—Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have also proved that they have neither pragmatic programmes nor capable people to solve the fundamental problems faced by Pakistan and its people. In today’s Pakistan there is not a single leader that matches the vision and determination of Benazir to regain what we have lost domestically and internationally. It is shameful that state machinery has utterly failed to unveil the real hands behind her assassination even after lapse of seven years. The valiant struggle waged by Benazir to counter the forces of terrorism culminated in losing life, but earned her immortality. On December 16, 2014, the most lamentable barbaric incident occurred in Peshawar when terrorists of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched an attack on the Army Public School. They were clad in the uniform of the Frontier Corps and entered the school from the rear. They stormed the premises and held it in a nine-hour siege. They moved from classroom to classroom, killing innocent students and staff—nearly 150 lost life and many hundreds received serious injuries. Though the Taliban is one identifiable homogeneous political entity, it also represents a coalition of various groups that want to capture state power and impose a particular orthodox brand of Islam through the barrel of gun. It is also a myth that Pakistani Taliban are different from Afghan Taliban—they represent the same ideology though having different tactics to achieve it and controlled by uncommon leaders. The militant groups playing havoc with Pakistan’s security are not under one control—they operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan having sanctuaries in the tribal belt of both the countries where state writ is virtually non-existent. The Taliban are thriving on drug-arms-money and posing even a greater threat to all States in this region. Benazir gave her life for resisting the designs of those who support militants to wreck Pakistan providing them pretext to intervene physically in the name of safeguarding nuclear arsenals.Benazir was fully aware of the contours of New Great Game, which the West — led by the US — has started using “Islamic militants” to contain Russian and Chinese influences in Central and West Asia. She decided to resist this agenda and became the prime target of these forces. Since then all events prove that under the “chosen” political leadership (PML-N, PPP, PTI & JI), Pakistan is moving towards complete disaster. Like his predecessor, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister, has been paying lip service to fight “terrorists” but there has been no worthwhile effort. General Raheel Sharif, who assumed the charge of armed forces on November 27, 2013, launched a much-delayed action in North Waziristan and elsewhere against the safe sanctuaries of militants. Operation Zarb-e-Azb started after failure of negotiations with militants and wanton attacks on army personnel. Analysts cast doubt over its effectiveness in the aftermath of wanton attack on Army Public School. It is a well-established fact that the terrorist networks get millions of dollars every year from various sources—using cover up entities. Militant groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the garb of “ideology” are engaged in criminal activities; from smuggling to kidnappings, narco trade to arms deals. Terrorism, like fascism is a self-destructive ideology. To fight terrorism, it is necessary to understand it. Wishful thinking about military might and invincible air-strike-power will not help to win the war against terrorists—they use religion to conceal their lust for money and social control, otherwise what is the justification for destroying educational institutions. Use of ill-directed force against a few groups without eliminating the main causes leading to “terrorism”, is proving to be merely a self-defeating exercise. Determined and practical efforts are needed to destroy their financial lifeline. The strategy to fight terrorism has ignored this most vital aspect and, therefore, the powerful states, like USA, with all their military might and economic resources, have failed to win the war started by them in 2001—they now certainly yielding before the forces like ISIS—the enemies of humanity who take away innocent lives in the name of religion and faith (sic). Benazir gave her life for resisting the designs of those who support militants to wreck Pakistan providing them pretext to intervene physically in the name of safeguarding nuclear arsenals. Unfortunately, her own party stalwarts betrayed her. General Pervez Musharraf was aware of and tracking the many threats against Benazir. But he “did little more than pass on those threats to her and to provincial authorities who were not proactive in neutralising them or ensuring that the security provided was commensurate to the threats”. Heraldo Munoz, the lead United Nations (UN) investigator assigned to probe into Benazir’s assassination, in his book ‘Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan’, doubts that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) independently carried out the attack. He does not discount suspicions about involvement of intelligence operatives in her murder and later covering up of evidence. He expresses fears that the murder would remain unsolved because of absence of both capacity and willingness of the government and courts to solve the case. “In Bhutto’s case, it would seem that the village assassinated her: Al-Qaeda gave the order; the Pakistani Taliban executed the attack, possibly backed or at least encouraged by elements of the establishment; the Musharraf government facilitated the crime through its negligence; local senior policemen attempted a cover-up; Bhutto’s lead security team failed to properly safeguard her; and most Pakistani political actors would rather turn the page than continue investigating who was behind her assassination,” Munoz observes. Seven years after the tragedy of losing Benazir, our rulers and agencies have failed to punish her assailants and forces behind the terrorism. So, our beloved children were brutally murdered on 16 December 2014—the responsibility for this event rests collectively with civil-military leadership and judiciary. Benazir as leader of the poor and dispossessed will always live in their hearts. If Pakistan has to get rid of terrorism and legacy of Benazir to prevail, workers of PPP must defeat enemies in their ranks and continue her legacy of resisting the forces engaged in New Great Game that aims at controlling South Asian and Central Asian resources through the bogey of Islamic militants with the ultimate objective of containing China and getting hold of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 03:27:52 +0000
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