Liaquat Bagh tragedy still haunts Pakistan

Victims' families seek answers as motives behind BB's murder remain unknown

RAWALPINDI:

The 18th anniversary of the tragic incident at Liaquat Bagh, in which former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and 23 Pakistan Peoples Party workers were martyred, will be observed today.

The incident, which occurred on December 27, 2007, remains a unique and tragic chapter in Pakistan's political history.

Even after 18 years, the actual motives behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination have not come to light, similar to the unresolved murder of Pakistan's first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan at the same venue.

Even the world-renowned investigative agency Scotland Yard failed to identify the killers.

The families of the 23 PPP workers martyred alongside Benazir Bhutto, as well as four others who later succumbed to their injuries, will once again spend the day in grief, remembering their loved ones.

PPP flags are hoisted at their homes, where preparations for the 18th anniversary have been underway for several days.

To date, no proper memorial has been constructed at the site of Benazir Bhutto's assassination at Liaquat Bagh.

Those martyred alongside her included Rafiq Raza alias Kala Khan (Rawalpindi), Muhammad Naeem Akhtar (Toba Tek Singh), Naeem Asghar (Gakhar, Gujranwala), Asif Samar (Rawalpindi), Zulfiqar Ali alias Bhutto (Faisalabad), Tauqeer Akram Qaira (Lala Musa), Muhammad Bashir (Muzaffarabad), Sheikh Javed Iqbal (Naya Mohalla, Rawalpindi), Raja Habib (Dhok Ratta, Rawalpindi), and others.

Additionally, Muhammad Anwar Khan (Dhok Mangtal), Nazir Butt (Dhok Ratta), Siraj Khan, Chaudhry Ghaus, and Raja Afraz later died from their injuries. A total of 35 people were injured in the incident.

Families of all martyrs continue to maintain strong ideological ties with the PPP. Preparations at their homes include Quran recitation, visits to graves, and cooking favourite dishes of the martyrs. Homes still display portraits of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, and Bilawal Bhutto, with party flags on rooftops.

Children orphaned in 2007 are now grown adults. With financial assistance from the PPP, economic conditions of these families have improved. Widows who were once forced to work in others' homes are now living better lives, and their children have started earning.

Injured survivors including Muhammad Akhtar Saeed Bappa, Hasnain Ashraf, Mian Altaf Butt, Haji Khalid, Raja Riaz, and Uzair Butt still recall the tragedy with tears. Senior PPP leader Nasir Mir said the party fully supported martyrs' families, helping them overcome financial hardships.

He said the PPP remains a party of ideological workers who continue their struggle regardless of electoral outcomes.