Musharraf plotted Benazir murder

The probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, ordered by the Interior Ministry, has revealed that former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf orchestrated the murder through two police officers and TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud, Waqt News TV channel reported on Saturday. According to the Waqt News, the report to be submitted before the Sindh Assembly, the copy of which is available with the channel, says a cell had been established at Room No 96 of Haqqania Madrassa, Akora Khattak, to plan the execution and the students of the seminary were in contact with Baitullah. But the plot was originally finalised in Waziristan, while Baitullah executed the Al-Qaeda’s orders on December 27, 2007 and assigned various groups the task to carry out suicide bombings with the assistance of Musharraf and the two police officers. The report further says Benazir did not enter into any deal with Musharraf, who tried to stop her flying back to the country, while a person, named Malik, also attempted to convince her at the Dubai airport. President Asif Ali Zardari was also asked to cancel the return, it added. The report also mentions that Musharraf did not offer any security to Benazir, which resulted in problems during her visits to Rahim Yar Khan, Larkana and Sukkur, while the jammer provided to her also went out of order. The Waqt News says Nadir Khan alias Qari Ismail, a close associate of Baitullah, formed a cell at the Haqqani Madrassa, consisting Nasrullah alias Ahmed, Ibadur Rehman, Nauman, Usman alias Farooq and Husnain Gul alias Ali. They met Baitullah in Waziristan. Later, Husnain introduced the bombers, Saeed alias Bilal and Ikramullah, to his cousin, Rifaqat Hussain, who provided accommodation to them in Rawalpindi, before they were transported to Liaquat Bagh. The TV channel further says on the night between December 27 and 28, 2007, Husnain and Rifaqat visited Nasrullah and arranged lodging for the two bombers at Rifaqat’s house, where Abdullah alias Saddam, Ibadur Rehman and Faiz Muhammad alias Casket provide suicide jackets to them. It says Saeed first fired a gunshot at Benazir and later caused an explosion, while Ikram was also ready in case Saeed missed the target. On the other hand, had Benazir left the venue from the other route, an extra group of attackers were deployed there to assassinate the popular leader. As the five terrorists were finalising the plot, Ibad and Qari Ismail were in constant contact with them. The report says Ibad and Ikram fled Rawalpindi after the attack, while Baitullah contacted and praised them over their success on the very next morning, adding that Musharraf and the accused police officers provided continuous help to the terrorists during the said period. The report says a total of 16 terrorists were involved in the assassination, out of which five, including two top cops, have been arrested. Another six of them have been killed, while the remaining three are still at large. It also recalls that the PPP chairperson escaped two life attempts by Ramzi Yousuf in 1993. The first attack, to be carried out before the 1993 polls, was planned by Ramzi, Captain Abdul Hakim alias Majid and others. Osama bin Laden through Munir Ibrahim offered to finance the scheme, but Ramzi was injured while making the bomb, which resulted in its failure. Meanwhile, All Pakistan Muslim League leader Barrister Saif rejected the findings, saying the government had spent Rs 600 million on the baseless report. Terming the investigation a futile exercise, he said the PPP-led government was trying to implicate Musharraf in the murder due to ulterior motives, adding the proofs were pointing to someone else.