KARACHI, Nov 17: Though it has been a month since midnight blasts targeted Benzair Bhutto’s welcome convoy, the investigation into one of the deadliest terrorist acts in the country’s history has almost come to a standstill as police officials, uncertain of the political scenario, are more occupied with post-emergency events.
Official sources said the investigators are not very confident about which lines to pursue regarding the probe amid the fluid political environment, with the future set-up of the government unpredictable. Similarly, they believe the emergency imposed on Nov 3 has further distracted the police’s attention.
“Events are happening so rapidly that no one knows about the next day’s schedule,” said a senior official closely monitoring events since Oct 18. “In such a situation, how can one carry out a proper investigation? Secondly, the changing political environment affects the investigation of such sensitive cases,” he said.
Another official said that though the police were following the case and gathering evidence from different sources, they were not yet focused enough to pinpoint any group or individual behind the twin blasts, which killed more than 140 people and left some 400 injured when the former prime minister was returning home after an eight-year self-imposed exile.
“We sent hundreds of samples of body parts found from the blast scene for DNA tests and the initial findings reported that they belonged to some 50 victims,” he said. Similarly, he added, a truck carrying Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan People’s Party leadership, which was believed to be the real target, had been in police custody and its forensic report was due within the next few days.
“Despite all these efforts, the bottom line is that there is no progress as such in the case. It may take time and it is close to impossible to fix any deadline,” said the official.
‘Investigation not affected’
The police high-ups, however, deny such notions and claim the investigation is heading towards a conclusion. They are still hopeful of a breakthrough, which may lead to a positive outcome. But when this outcome would be clear remained an unanswered question.
“Since the investigation began, I have maintained several times that we have some leads but those can’t be shared, especially with the media,” said Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Azhar Ali Farooqi. “Similarly, the emergency or other events don’t affect the investigation as those are being looked after by a special, dedicated and skilled team, which is not bothered with any change or other events.”
He said the police had released photographs of the suspected suicide attackers, which itself reflected progress in the investigation and frequent meetings within the police department on the subject were helping investigators to keep their focus on the case.
However, the PPP appeared dissatisfied with the manner in which the police investigation is being conducted. The party, which set up its own special probe cell to collect evidence from the injured and investigate the case on its own, is still not ready to accept the blasts as suicide attacks.
“From the very first day evidence is being destroyed one by one,” claimed Sharjeel Memon, one of the three-member team of the PPP’s special cell. “The police have not interacted with the PPP, which is in fact an aggrieved party in the case. Neither have they recorded the statements of our leadership, which was the target of the attacks.”
He said that the police were insisting there were two suicide attacks, which had yet to be established, adding that the recent events further diverted the investigators’ focus from the case, which was already not getting due attention.
“We believe the police is not serious,” added Mr Memon. “We have conveyed our concerns to the high-ups but not a single time have they approached us for any briefing or assistance.”
