Western diplomats told Los Angeles Times, according to a report published on Sunday, that they found the Pakistani government statements on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto worrying in their wider implications.  “It’s not only that this is not a credible account of what happened – that’s obvious on the face of it,” said a diplomat familiar with security matters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
| "In fact, it don't make no sense at all! Those people are crazy!" |
He was commenting on the governmentÂ’s changing version of the assassination, which, in its third take attributed BenazirÂ’s death to a head injury suffered as she fell through the opening of the vehicle she was in.
| In the fourth take they'll blame it on a fall in the tub. |
An eager govt: A Western diplomat told the newspaper, “It’s that it raises questions about why the government is so extraordinarily eager to avoid acknowledging the role of a gunman, whether or not the wounds were fatal. At the very least, it’s puzzling.”
| That's a polite way of saying their statements amount to nonsense. |
Several analysts said the use of a handgun in addition to explosives is a departure for militant groups in Pakistan. | The use of a Walther P99 pistol is a departure as well |
“This is not by any means a signature killing by Al Qaeda,” security analyst Nasim Zehra told the Los Angeles Times, “A targeted shooting, even in combination with a familiar suicide bombing, makes it look more like a political killing than one by some militant group.”
Columnist Ikram Sehgal said, “Obviously, they were studying her movements in the course of the political campaign. Inside the rally, it was relatively secure; her problem was entering and leaving. She was highly vulnerable at that time. It was done very professionally. It was a ‘hit’.” That degree of professionalism suggests to some experts the hand of Pakistan’s security apparatus, which has previously aided and abetted militant groups, including the Taliban, according to the newspaper’s correspondent who filed the report from Pakistan.
Also quoted was security analyst Ayesha Siddiqa, “The agencies have ongoing connections with the militants. It’s very simplistic to talk about the militants doing this and doing that, all the while acting alone.” |