KARACHI, Oct 17: Police have registered another FIR of the October 18 midnight attacks that targeted former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s welcome procession near Karsaz against unknown culprits on the basis of a written request of the deceased leader, despite the fact that she suspected at least three persons to be behind the tragic incident.

The FIR (213/2008) was lodged by the Bahadurabad police station under Sections 324 (attempt to commit Qatl-i-Amd), 302 (Qatl-i-Amd), 427/34 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 3 (punishment for causing explosion likely to endanger life or property) and 4 (punishment for attempt to cause explosion or for making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, after the government moved, on the eve of the Oct 18 anniversary, to institute a fresh probe into the incident with a new team of investigators in place, declaring the findings of the previous police team “irrelevant.”

More than 150 people lost their lives and over 400 others were left injured in the bombings that targeted Ms Bhutto’s welcome procession, who was returning from over eight years of self-exile. The attack was carried out 70 days before her assassination in what the government describes as a gun-and-bomb suicide attack on December 27 following her address to an election rally in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.

When asked why the three suspects mentioned by the former premier in her written request were not nominated in the new FIR, Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza said the fresh case was registered in line with court orders that suggested conversion of Ms Bhutto’s letter into an FIR.“In BB’s request, she mentioned a letter she had written to [now retired] General Pervez Musharraf two days before her arrival in which she said her life could be harmed by three persons,” he said.

“The names would be there in the letter written to Gen Musharraf but not in her request made for an FIR. We have just converted the request into a fresh FIR,” he explained.

However, the minister said, the police team would take into account every possible aspect during the course of investigations since the government was committed to bringing the case to a closure with a professional approach and without any external pressure.

A couple of days after the Oct 18 attack, the former prime minister forwarded a written request to the SHO Bahadurabad police station for registration of an FIR on her behalf, as the FIR (183/2007 under almost all the same sections) was originally lodged on behalf of the state.

“The dastardly attack was aimed at my physical elimination and elimination of the top leadership of the party and devoted selfless supporters in an attempt to derail the democratic process and stop the people of Pakistan voting for a leader of their choice,” said Ms Bhutto in her request.

“This attracts offences under the Pakistan Penal Code, Anti-Terrorism Act as well as all the Explosive Act resulting into the death of nearly 140 people and injuring more than 350 innocent Pakistanis. You may please register the case and investigate so that the accused and their conspirators may be brought to book and punished according to the law,” it said.

Ms Bhutto, in her written request, had also referred to her Oct 16 letter to the former president, retired general Musharraf, after receiving a warning from the government urging her to delay her return on security grounds.

“After receiving this information I wrote a letter dated Oct 16, 2007 to the president of Pakistan, informing him of my grave concern regarding my security and specified the forces and persons behind them whom I suspected were likely to harm me physically,” it said.

New team

Since there was no specific name in the written request, the authorities argued that it was sensible to keep facts straight in the fresh FIR, but they assigned a new team of investigators to look into the matter.

“We have appointed DIG Investigation Ghulam Qadir Thebo as head of the new investigation team, who will be assisted by SP Khaliq Sheikh, SP Niaz Khoso and some other senior officers,” said the home minister.

“The previous team, which was investigating the case, has only established that the Karsaz blasts were suicide attacks and if needed, we would take their findings into account. But after initiating fresh investigations with a new FIR and a new police team, the earlier findings sound irrelevant.”His arguments seem justified as the police appeared clueless about the status of the investigations into the Oct 18 attacks while the man who was serving as Ms Bhutto’s chief security adviser on the day of the attacks sounded sceptical about the most vital fact of the event: that it was suicidal.

Background interviews with the officials and discussions with leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party raise various questions over the police investigations of the tragic incident after a year, with no major piece of evidence available for fresh investigations and most importantly, the key witness of the event not taken on board during the course of the probe.Retired major-general Ahsan Ahmed, the individual in charge of security arrangements on Oct 18 assigned by Benazir Bhutto herself, who is currently living in Rawalpindi, wonders why he has not yet been called by any of the investigation agencies, which could have led to some insights on the Dec 27 fatal attack on Ms Bhutto.

Doubts over probe

Sharing his thoughts on the Oct 18 attacks with Dawn, the ex-serviceman cast doubts over the facts established during the course of the investigations, the most important being the claim of a suicidal attack by the police high-ups.

“I think they (police) moved in haste to declare the (October 18 attacks) as suicide attacks,” he said.

“There were several factors which needed to be taken into account while investigating the Oct 18 tragedy and unfortunately, there have been no proper investigations.”

Recalling exactly what happened on Oct 18, retired Major-Gen Ahmed said he noticed two stationary vehicles a few yards away from the Karsaz bridge, which surprised him as in meetings with security officials, it was agreed that no means of transport would be allowed in such position near the float carrying Ms Bhutto and on the road of the procession.

“There were several other things, which raise serious questions of the security and administrative arrangements. The jammers were not working because I received a text message on my cellphone. The streetlights from the Star Gate to Karsaz were on while at other points they were off. Near the Karsaz bridge, the lights on the airport side of the bridge were on but as we crossed the bridge the lights were off.” When questioned further the decorated soldier, who has adequate knowledge of explosives and terrorism-related issues and was also injured in the Oct 18 attacks, reiterated his reluctant to declare the blasts suicide attacks.

“I suggest a complete inquiry into the incident with a thorough, professional approach. I appeared before an inquiry tribunal investigating the Oct 18 attacks despite the fact that my party (PPP) didn’t recognize such investigations just to put my observations and experiences on record. As far as police investigation is concerned, how one can rely over that when none of the investigators has approached me to record the statement of a key witness?”