Musharraf killed my mother: Bilawal Bhutto
Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on Wednesday branded former President Pervez Musharraf as the "killer" of his mother Benazir Bhutto as the country observed her 10th death anniversary.
Reiterating that he holds the man who pulled her security rather than the man who pulled the trigger responsible for his mother's death, Bilawal Bhutto raised the "Musharraf's a murderer!" slogan in front of the charged crowd of PPP supporters in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Dawn online reported.
Bhutto, the PPP chief and a two-time Prime Minister, was killed along with 21 people in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi's Liaqat Bagh during an election rally on December 27, 2007.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto told the BBC in an interview that crucial details about the assassination of his mother were being held back in order to protect the former army chief.
He said: "Musharraf exploited this entire situation to assassinate my mother. He purposely sabotaged her security so that she would be assassinated and taken off the scene."
Bilawal Bhutto said that Musharraf, who is in self-imposed exile in Dubai, had directly threatened Bhutto and told her that her security was based on the state of her relationship with him. He claimed that on the day of her assassination, the security cordon was taken off from her by the former military ruler.
The PPP Chairman said that he personally holds the former President responsible for the murder but as he doesn't have any details of him giving directions on a call or holding a meeting to convey any secret message, he will not unnecessarily blame any state institution.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in its judgment on August 31 had declared Musharraf an absconder in the assassination case and acquitted five alleged operatives of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) due to lack of evidence.
Two police officers were jailed for 17 years each for negligence vis-a-vis Bhutto's security. The court also ordered confiscation of Musharraf's properties.
Bilawal Bhutto added that the ATC hearing Bhutto's case ignored the UN investigation report, ignored the government's investigation, ignored phone call recordings and did not take into account DNA evidence.
He said the court gave a clean chit to the terrorists, awarded punishments to the police officials involved in washing the crime scene but also immediately approved their bail.
Bilawal Bhutto told the PPP supporters that Benazir had been punished for propagating democracy and for her deep love for the people.
"My leader (Benazir), you were punished for fighting against dictatorship... for fighting for women and speaking for the oppressed. You were punished for loving people."
Bilawal also accused the incumbent government of undoing his mother's legacy, saying: "They've weakened the democracy and Parliament. Small provinces are being isolated from the federal government. This is a murderous government."
Bilawal also attached some blame for his mother's unresolved murder case to the judiciary.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
