Nation will always miss Shaheed Bibi: Rehman Malik

Islamabad; Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Former Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik has paid a rich tribute to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on her 13th martyrdom anniversary and said that the nation and the workers of PPP always miss and felt the absence of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in the party.

In his statement, Senator A. Rehman Malik said that false impressions were engineered by some with their ulterior motives that the PPP leadership during its tenure had been unable to arrest and investigate the case. He said that such impressions are baseless and stand negated as all those who were involved in the murder of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto were identified, arrested and trialled except those who were killed mysteriously. He said that in fact the case was got transferred from Punjab police to FIA under the orders of the then Federal Government and high-powered JIT was constituted for further investigation of the case led by Mr. Tariq Khosa. He expressed that it remained a mystery in the minds of investigator as to how the only drone hit in Khyber Agency to kill Obaid ur Rehman alias Chattan who was the main handler of Bibi’s murder plan.

Senator A. Rehman Malik said that despite all difficulties and hidden force was acting odd to stop investigation, the courageous police and FIA officers managed to arrest many and were able to collect the pieces of evidence together and brought the accused to justice. He said that the accused were found guilty and competent court convicted them and matter is pending in the court. He added “the investigation processes was very transparent and both Parliament and the Sindh Assembly was kept informed.”

Former Interior Minister said that it has been recently found that the second suicide bomber Ikramullah who slipped away from the scene and after spending long time with Baitullah Mehsud moved to Afghanistan and the Aamir of Taliban has confirmed his presence in Qandahar and it is confirmed that two life attempts have been made last year but he escaped adding that it is also a mystery that which odd forces want to kill him when he decided to appear on BBC and unearth some facts. He said that in this regard he as Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior had written letter to then Minister of Interior back in January, 2018 that a request be made to Afghan president to deport Ikramullah, a surviving suicide bomber, and Abu Mansoor Asim Mufti Noor Wali, the author of ‘Inqilab Meshud South Waziristan: From British Raj to American Imperialism’ but sadly he got no response despite of a followed letter as reminder.

Senator Rehman Malik said that later when five terrorists of TTP namely Abdul Rashid, Aitzaz Shah, Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul and Sher Zaman who were declared guilty of murdering Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto by JIT were released, he as Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior in another letter had demanded Ministry of Interior to immediacy place their names on ECL to avoid their flee from the country.

Senator A. Rehman Malik further said that the investigation carried out by the JIT had led to the facts that the conspiracy of killing Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was hatched at Room No. 96 of Madrassa Haqqania, Akora Khattak by the former student of the said Madrassa. He said that one Ibad-ur-Rehman, a former student of Madrassa Haqqania had brought suicide bomber to the Madrassa from then TTP chief Baitullah Mahsud and stayed in Room No. 96 overnight. He added that JIT had collected the original admission record with photographs, addresses & parentage from Madrassa of those students who conspired and then executed the conspiracy. The JIT revealed that accused Nasrullah who had brought suicide bombers in Rawalpindi on 26th December, 2007 and Ibad-ur-Rehman, the planner and ex-students of the Madrassa were later on found to have been killed in separate operations by the LEAs, he added.

He said that it may be mentioned here that the PPP leadership was of the firm view that the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had international dimensions with a wider conspiracy plan therefore, requested the UN Secretary General to constitute an Inquiry Commission to investigate the case in order to un-earth the conspiracy. He said that the Inquiry Commission submitted its Report in May 2010 wherein it primarily held the then Federal Government responsible for not providing Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed adequate and proper security. “It also discredited the findings of the committee appointed by the then Punjab Government with regard to washing of the crime scene and on the basis of the findings of the Inquiry Commission, the Federal Government decided to transfer the case to FIA for further investigation and constituted a high-powered JIT as mentioned above”, he said.

Senator A. Rehman Malik said that the case is now pending before the High Court for decision and he hopes that the Bhutto family and the workers of the PPP one day will get justice for their leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and justice on the judicial murder of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.