New Delhi: The Pakistan authorities' claim that a key aide of Benazir Bhutto had a hand in her assassination has been rejected outright by the Pakistan People's Party, which says the video footage showing the man making suspicious gestures right next to Bhutto is nothing but a plant.
A video footage of the attack, released on Friday, shows a short man with a moustache, making suspicious gestures, standing right next to the slain leader as she addresses the crowd. The man — identified as Khalid Shahinshah — is an aide of Benazir and he was apparently in a hurry to get into her car soon after she ended her speech.
Shahinshah has been absconding since the day of Benazir's assassination. On Wednesday, the government published his still photo, taken from the video footage. The government also announced a reward of Rs 10 million for any information on Khalid.
But PPP's de facto chief Asif Ali Zardari rejected the theories. PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar called it an attempt to defame the party.
PPP's Information Secretary Sherry Rahman also rubbished the claims that Bhutto was responsible for her death as she did not care for security. "This is an insult to the Shaheed leader and all those who lost their lives with her," she said.
"The video footage clearly shows the absence of adequate security around the PPP leader just when she was leaving the Liaquat Bagh premises and after. None of us were scanned when we went in, and nobody was scanned as we left as well," Rahman said.
She said rather than admitting its own failure, the regime was trying to tell people that "you will be responsible for the consequences if you try to exercise your fundamental rights."
Rahman said the security lapses were so huge that Benazir Bhutto was left totally exposed to the assassins.
"The Mohtarma was clearly shot at, and the blast happened minutes later. The October 18 blasts followed a similar pattern. There was firing first, followed by the blasts," she said.
On Friday, the PPP had claimed that Benazir's death was caused by laser beam shots. Senior PPP leader Babar Awan said Bhutto's medical report showed an open head injury with skull fracture which led to Bhutto's cardiac arrest and subsequent death. He said the reports suggested electromagnetic radiations.
Awan also claimed that after these medical reports there was no need for further post-mortem or exhumation of Bhutto's body. The PPP said the medical report has clearly proved that Bhutto's death was not caused by the lever of the sunroof of her vehicle as was claimed by a government spokesman earlier.
The party now plans to hand over the report to a UN commission as evidence. PPP has also said that it would cooperate with the Scotland Yard team probing the assassination of their leader but stuck to its demand for a UN inquiry.
"The Scotland Yard team will only carry out a police-type investigation but we stick to our demand for probing the conspiracy of assassination of Benazir Bhutto through the United Nation Commission," the party spokesperson said.
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