Bhatti’s camouflage was ‘an open secret’

Minister evaded normal security and rarely used his own house.

ISLAMABAD:

Assassinated Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaaz Bhatti’s attempts to conceal his residence were an “open secret”, raising fresh questions about the failure of the government to provide security to the late cabinet member.

According to sources familiar with the matter, some of Bhatti’s security escort knew of his attempts to hide his residence, though the minister himself seemed to be comfortable with his own protection.

The minorities minister began to distrust his official security detail after the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by one of his own guards for his opposition to abuses taking place in the name of the blasphemy law. The minister began to hide his place of residence.

“He had limited his visits to his house in sector I-8/3 and used to come for sleeping there only,” said one of his family members and a close friend who did not want to be named to The Express Tribune.

However, his friend conceded that his routine did not remain a well-kept secret.

A police official said that the assailants, while carrying out reconnaissance of the slain minister’s movements, would have easily come to know of his secret arrangement.

“He was so confident of his own arrangements that neither he nor his driver had bothered to keep a weapon with them or in the car,” said an official close to investigations.

Another police official said that over ninety per cent of the people under threat who are provided with state security try to keep their ‘private lives’ out of the purview of their ‘security’.

“They did not want their security escort to accompany them in their private life. For security details to work properly, they needed to compromise the private life,” he said.

Despite repeated reports and complaints by the security division of the police about this ‘behaviour’ of people under threat, the government had not taken any action to seek compliance from them nor are there any rules in this regard.

People responsible for the security of the slain minister, in this case the security division of police, had not taken any measures whatsoever to monitor his movement.

“After a thorough search, the police and law enforcement agencies had failed to locate a single closed-circuit camera on the route of the minister or the area concerned,” said an official.

This camera could possibly capture the footage of the car used by the attackers which would have made it easy for the police to trace it.

Officials said the white Suzuki Mehran, reportedly used in the attack, had not been found as yet. Earlier, through a witness, a clue was given to the police but the reported car registration number was found to be bogus.

Police were unable to arrest any suspect, sources said. They were also not able to get hold of the slain minister’s personal cell phone or the custody of his driver, they added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2011.