Justice delayed is justice denied is perfect for the Benazir Bhutto murder case decision by the anti-terrorism court
ISLAMABAD: The maxim of justice delayed is justice denied is perfect for the Benazir Bhutto murder case decision by the anti-terrorism court Rawalpindi, after a decade of the assassination of the PPP leader. The court in its judgment has awarded a sentence of 17 years, under two different sections, along with fines to two of the suspects accused of committing negligence towards security of the slain leader and the removal of evidentiary facts from the crime scene. The most surprising aspect of the case is the acquittal of the five militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan who were suspects in the case.
While the court has set the five suspects free on account of lack of evidence, sources privy to the case regard the acquittal the result of a dialogue between the Taliban and the US some time ago. Whatever the reasons are, aquittal of the said suspects points at the underlying causes and the anti-state external factors working at the backend of the events that happen within the territorial boundaries of the country. Further, the investigation is flawed as it fails to identify those who executed the plan and awards sentences to those responsible for negligence only.
Also, two common conspiracy theory concepts to the case remain unanswered even after numerous rounds of investigation and prosecution; a) if the slain leader was assassinated by the Taliban who covertly held even stronger traction in the region during General Musharraf’s period in office or b) her return to Pakistan altered the previously made policy arrangements between her and the US?
Osama Ilyas
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2017.
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