Slaughter In The East

It came as a bolt from the blue for Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The deathof her younger brother and political foe Mir Murtaza Bhutto in police firing in Karachi onSeptember 20 not only gave the opposition a major handle against her government, but alsocast doubts over the future of her government. While the opposition lost no time incalling for Benazir’s dismissal, it is not clear what stand her mother Nusrat willtake.

Murtaza was returning from a public meeting that evening when the police interceptedvehicles escorting his Pajero for a check. Accounts of what actually happened differ. Itis believed that just as the police got caught up in an argument with Murtaza’sguards, someone (it is not clear who) opened fire. In the ensuing gun battle, two bulletshit Murtaza, who later died along with six party activists.

While Nusrat, who is seriously ill, arrived from London the next morning, Benazircancelled all her appointments and rushed to Karachi. The prime minister is said to havewailed and screamed when she saw her brother’s body at the hospital he was rushed to.She was no doubt aware that the killing could have major political repercussions.Politically, Murtaza was hardly a challenge to Benazir and she still has the support ofmost PPP workers; but the incident is sure to damage her government’s credibility. Ifthe prime minister’s brother can be a victim of a police encounter in her homeprovince, it is being pointed out, the safety of ordinary citizens is all the moreprecarious.

As soon as news of Murtaza’s death broke, opposition leaders claimed that thegovernment had turned the country into a police state and had failed to curb increasinglawlessness. The Jamaat-e-Islami’s Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the incident merited thegovernment’s dismissal. Some opposition leaders even refused to rule out thepossibility of a conspiracy to assassinate Murtaza.

The main opposition leader and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, told Parliamentthat the killing was part of the Benazir Government’s "state terrorism andpolitical vendetta". Said he: "It does not behove any government in the world tocurb dissent with bullets."

As for Murtaza, he is the second sibling in his family to die in mysteriouscircumstances. Benazir’s other brother, Shah Nawaz, ostensibly died of food poisoningin Paris in 1985 but speculation had it that he was murdered.

For his part, Murtaza’s no martyr. He was sought by the police for incitingattacks on two centres of Pakistan’s Central Investigation Agency a couple of daysbefore his death. Murtaza, who returned to Pakistan from exile in Syria in 1993, hadearlier been arrested on several criminal charges, some dating back to the time of Zia ul-Haq, but was later released on bail.

After his father’s execution, Murtaza had formed the clandestine Al- ZulfikarOrganisation, which was suspected to be behind a series of subversive acts, including ahijacking in 1981. On his return to Pakistan, he led a faction of the PPP — calledthe Shaheed Bhutto Group— and publicly accused Benazir of working with thoseresponsible for the killing of their father. He used to criticise the BenazirGovernment’s policies and openly accused her husband Asif Ali Zardari of sweepingcorruption. In fact, hours before his death, Murtaza had lambasted his sister, holding hergovernment responsible for the bomb blasts in Karachi in recent days.

However of late, there were rumours that both scions of the Bhutto family were inchingtowards a rapprochement under pressure from their mother. To that end, they had met onJuly 7 for the first time since his return from exile.

But hours before his death, Murtaza had warned of trouble if the police raided his homeor tried to arrest him without following legal procedures; but he added that he would notresist arrest if the police came to his home with a legal warrant.

And even as the nation was put on high alert, Pakistan at large still seemed stunned bythe incident and there was a measure of sympathy for the 42- year- old. Although he hadyet to prove his mettle in politics, Murtaza had inherited some of바카라 웹사이트 his fathercharisma. But it was clear that Benazir would have a tough time defending the policeaction.