It's being reported that Zardari was the one who'd originally refused to allow an autopsy to be done on wife Benazir's body, on the grounds that it would be an insult to her, a sacrilege, etc. If true, then I'd find such a refusal to be highly suspicious.
Consider that it's also been widely reported that Zardari's marriage to Benazir had been breaking down, and that like many political couples, they were simply staying together for appearance's sake. Zardari, like many Pakistani husbands, might not be willing to play the role of a submissive husband for the end of his days, like Indira's husband Firoz.
What if both Zardari and Musharraf had found common ground in protecting their interests by having Benazir "suddenly removed" from the picture?
Then Zardari gets son Bilawal crowned party head, while Zardari himself gets to be the real power behind the son's throne. Meanwhile, Musharraf benefits by getting the same power-sharing deal with PPP, but minus the presence of the annoying Bhutto woman.
Zardari's refusal to allow an autopsy on his wife would be consistent with such a scenario. Also consistent with such a scenario would be the govt trying to cover up evidence on the circumstances of Bhutto's death. Note the govt's denial of any gunshots on Benazir's body, in contrast to the newly-released video evidence. Also note the immediate hosing down of the crime scene, washing away evidence, rather than preserving it for investigators. Musharraf's govt doesn't seem to be making strenuous efforts to get this crime solved. I'm just wondering why?
Please also remember that the Commando-General is a ruthless adversary. He can be very creative in his tactics when cornered. And you have to admit, he has been feeling pretty cornered lately, with the whole US-brokered electoral arrangement.
Just a little paranoid theorizing from me.
8 comments:
Funnily, I too had the same thoughts in this connection.
However ridiculous it may seem, one can not brush aside the theory that Zardari was the man behind Benazir’s murder, because he is the direct beneficiary.
It would be interesting to see how he will go to the electorate; may be as Zardari Bhutto for cashing in on the sympathy wave? It is very likely that Zardari would end up as the Pak PM soon.
See the benefits of marrying into the dynasty? We have an analogous situation in India also, but the people in India are not easily manageable.
Excellent analysis san - paranoid thinking may not be a bad thing after all.
Zardari is an oily character - certainly fits the description of the 'oriental cunning' types that Kipling wrote about. The bugger probably took money from Musharraf to hire the gunman who killed his wife - and kept 10% for himself. The PPP may win more seats on the sympathy wave more than BB might have won by staying alive. It would also strengthen his hands against Mush - should the 'Fauji' ever feel like reopening the corruption cases.
However - I doubt that he is the biggest beneficiary. It is too early at the moment; but now you will see PPP infighting and factionalism will begin. Just wait till the election is held and results are announced. These blighters are all 'Islamic' in name only - they love money.
I think Pakistan has begun to unravel despite American aid and crutches. I will not be surprised to see a Balkan like situation. i just hope the spillover is mostly on the Western side of Pakistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/world/asia/31inquiry.html
At a news conference Sunday, Ms. Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, said he had declined a request for a post-mortem examination. “It was an insult to my wife, an insult to the sister of the nation, an insult to the mother of the nation,” he said. “I know their forensic reports are useless. I refuse to give them her last remains.”
In this news item, Zardari responds in keeping with his sliminess:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3116090.ece
On the day she was assassinated, Benazir Bhutto was due to meet two senior American politicians to show them a confidential report alleging that Pakistan’s intelligence service was using US money to rig parliamentary elections.
The second report, which Ms Bhutto did not plan to release to the media, alleged that the ISI was using some of the $10 billion (£5 billion) in US military aid that Pakistan has received since 2001 to run a covert election operation from a safe house in G5, a central district of Islamabad, he said.
“The report was done by some people who we’ve got in the services. They directly dealt with Benazir Bhutto,” he continued, adding that Ms Bhutto was planning to share the contents of the report with the British Ambassador as well as the US lawmakers.
Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto’s widower and the new co-chairman of the PPP, confirmed the existence of the report, its basic contents and Ms Bhutto’s plans to meet the US lawmakers last Thursday. Asked if such a report was in his possession, he said: “Something to that effect.” Asked if Ms Bhutto was planning to share its contents with the American legislators, he said: “I am not in a position to make an answer to that.” Asked if the report contained evidence that the ISI was using US funds to rig the elections, he said: “Possibly so.” He declined to give further details, but said the confidential report could have been one of several motives for killing Ms Bhutto, who died after a suicide-bomb and gun attack on an election rally near Islamabad. “It was a general combination of all of these things. The fact that she’s on the ground exposing everybody, I guess, would have been one reason. There are many views and many reasons one can think of for her assassination.”
It'd be cool if they can start with Yechury and Karat before moving on to Karan Thapar and Prannoy Roy.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/vatican-to-train-more-exorcists/2007/12/30/1198949675461.html?sid13
The Catholic Church has vowed to "fight the Devil head-on" by training hundreds of priests as exorcists.
I had hinted at this in my comment posted under "And the hits just keep on coming
" (http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2007/12/and-hits-just-keep-on-coming.html). That comment is repeated below:
“Who killed Benazir B? One of the suspects immediately after the assassination was Musharraf. After the manoaeuvres that culminated in installation of Bilawal ... as BB's heir and successor, another suspect has appeared!
# posted by witan : 12/31/2007 6:53 AM”
Nearly 20 years later, Pakistanis continue to wait for a report on who was responsible for killing Zia-ul-Haq.
Expect at least as much delay to resolve BB's assasination!
(I too am convinced Zardari was part of the conspiracy to kill BB.)
A couple of points do not add up in your theory. First, they could have rigged the autopsy. Second, your theory assumes that Zardari needs to keep up appearances. Pakistan ain't no democracy. If Zardari had declared his wife to be a sinner and taken on four other wives, he would have been just fine.
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