Zardari mastermind behind Benazir, Murtaza’s murders: Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) Chairman General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has said that Asif Ali Zardari was the real mastermind behind the murders of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her brother Murtaza Bhutto and law enforcement agencies should  arrest him. But the PPP leaders asked why Musharraf did not act while in power and claimed the dictator was the killer.

Through a video message on a social networking site, Musharraf said Asif Zardari has levelled allegations against him for the murder of Benazir Bhutto. “I want to reveal that the real mastermind behind this gory incident is Asif Ali Zardari,” he said.

The former military ruler said he is addressing Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Aseefa and Bakhtawar in particular, and then the people of Sindh and every citizen of Pakistan in general who were aggrieved by the death of Benazir Bhutto, “There is no doubt that (former TTP chief) Baitullah Mehsud and his accomplices murdered Benazir Bhutto but the real mastermind  must be investigated. It needs to be seen who benefited from the murder of Benazir Bhutto and who remained at loss. As far as I am concerned, I was at loss but Zardari took full benefit of it,” he said.

Musharraf expressed concern over the verdict of an Anti-Terrorism Court  of Rawalpindi on August 31 which, he claimed, exonerated the real culprits while two fine police officials were sent to jail.

It may be mentioned here that Zardari on September 18 filed an appeal against the judgment of ATC at the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench where he sought death penalty for Musharraf alleging his role in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Musharraf in his video message said that Zardari is responsible for the destruction of the Bhutto family. He expressed hope that if  genuine investigations were conducted, it would establish Zardari as the killer of Benazir Bhutto. Musharraf said his government was not responsible for provision of security to Benazir Bhutto. “Nevertheless we provided foolproof security to her at the public meeting,” he said. Musharraf said that it should be investigated who altered the bomb-proof vehicle's body with a sunroof in it and who asked Benazir Bhutto to come out of that sunroof and wave to the supporters. “Later that phone in use of Benazir Bhutto was intentionally kept missing to destroy the evidence. After two years of murder the phone was recovered and it had no traces in it,” he said.

Musharraf questioned why testimonies of the eyewitnesses like Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Naheed Khan and Safdar Abbasi were not recorded by the court. “Who entrusted Benazir Bhutto's security to Rehman Malik and Khalid Shehnsha and on what expertise and experience. The only qualification of Khalid Shehnsha was that he  was a jail-mate of Asif Zardari,” Musharraf said. He added, “After the incident why Rehman Malik fled the crime scene and went to Islamabad. After the murder of Benazir Bhutto why and who murdered Khalid Shehnsha and then the murderer of Khalid Shehnsha was also eliminated.”

Musharraf said Baitullah Mehsud was his enemy and so was Hamid Karzai. “At that time I didn't have such persons with me who could influence Karzai. But Zardari and another important personality had good relations with Karzai,” Musharraf claimed. “It was Baitullah Mehsud who organised attack on me. He was my enemy,” Musharraf said. “There is another possibility that Hamid Karzai and Afghanistan's intelligence agency orchestrated this attack on Benazir Bhutto through Baitullah Mehsud,” he further said.

“Zardari for the first time pronounced me as murderer which is unacceptable,” Musharraf said. He said the whole nation is bewildered by the judgment of ATC where two fine police officers have been sent to jail with 17-year imprisonment while the real culprits have been freed. 

Musharraf said that Zardari is trying to divert public attention from him and to focus it on him. “Had there been genuine investigation, it would have established Zardari as the real culprit,” Musharraf said. He demanded that Zardari be arrested under the murder charges of Benazir Bhutto and Murtaza Bhutto.

Meanwhile, a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) while hearing three different appeals of Asif Ali Zardari against ATC judgment in Benazir Bhutto murder case, directed prosecution to submit complete trial record of the case by November 27.

Zardari filed appeals for trying Pervez Musharraf as the coourt had already declared him absconder, acquittal of five accused and for awarding  death sentence to the police officers Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad.  

An LHC Rawalpindi Bench comprising Justice Muhammad Tariq Abbasi and Justice Habibullah Amir admitted appeals for hearing and observed that the three appeals were interconnected so they would be heard together.

Punjab former governor Sardar Latif Khan Kosa advocate appeared before the court as legal counsel. He argued that Benazir Bhutto was an outstanding  leader and her murder is a  big loss for the country. During that bomb blast on December 27, 2007 not only Benazir Bhutto was martyred but 23 others lost their lives, with 71 injured. 

The murder was not only investigated by the local authorities but Scotland Yards as well as a United Nations Security Council commission also probed this matter. Khosa said that the case took ten years to decide and now the appeals should be decided within 15 days. The court however remarked that it could not decide the case in the absence of record. He alleged that Musharraf was mastermind of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and he used Baitullah Mehsud for this purpose. 

In his appeal against Pervez Musharraf, petitioner Zardari prayed to the court to set aside order dated May 8, 2017 as well as the judgment dated August 31 of ATC. Trial of Musharraf might be  concluded under section 19(10) of ATA and he might be awarded exemplary punishment on all counts. 

About the five acquitted accused, Zardari appealed to the LHC to set aside August 31 judgement and trial of the five might be entrusted to ATC once again and they might be given death sentence. About Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad, Zardari prayed to the LHC to set aside ATC judgment and  award them death sentence.

Petitioner Zardari also nominated Rafaqat Hussain, Hasnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Rasheed Ahmed, Syed Saud Aziz, Khurram Shehzad, Pervez Musharraf and the state as respondents. Zardari filed these appeals through his counsels Syed Nayyer Bukhari and Sardar Latif Khosa.

After court proceedings, advocate Sardar Latif Khosa  said that in the first appeal a former democratic president of the country had sought relief against the former military dictator, whom the former government  and its  minister of interior, sent out of the country. 

"If an accused is out of country, will the court wait for his return," Khosa questioned. Musharraf could be penalised under Anti-Terrorism Act Section 19(10). Similarly the 5 accused whom ATC acquitted had recorded their confessional statements and their DNA tests proved their connection with commission of offence. 

Advocate Khosa said that it was also proved that the 5 accused visited the scene of crime a day before the incident and facilitated suicide bomber to reach that place. Investigators had found their involvement in this incident, Khosa added. It was unfortunate that PPP leadership was accused of not letting the post-mortem be performed, whereas PPP central executive committee had decided to pursue this matter with full force. 

"Being secretary general of PPP I myself filed an application to become party in this case, but that was dismissed by the trial court. Despite this we facilitated Mark Siegel statement before the court," Khosa said..

While talking to the media former federal minister for information and former ambassador of Pakistan to the US Sherry Rehman said PPP and the whole nation was waiting for this decision for the last 10 years. "We are waiting for the justice. At first PPP was not allowed to become party in this case. Asif Ali Zardari wanted to become party in this case like the whole PPP.   

During hearing of all this case, it was never discussed as to who ordered hosing of the crime scene, Sherry Rehman said. The incident of Benazir Bhutto murder was not an ordinary matter to be ignored. "We will keep filing appeals till we get justice," she said. She said Musharraf did nothing in assassination case during his dictatorship. 

Asim Yasin adds: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said it has been proved with the statement of General (R) Pervez Musharraf that he was involved in the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “We demande  from the higher courts of the country to take the notice of statement of Musharraf and bring him back for trial  in murder of Benazir Bhutto,” he said while talking to the newsmen   at the Parliament House. He said Musharraf is involved in the murder of Benazir Bhutto. “Why Musharraf is hiding from the courts of law,” he questioned.