Eyebrows were raised as none of the 90-plus lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly made even a slight reference to a long-awaited United Nations report on the assassination of their party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto. Whereas the provincial legislature continued its first general session of the third parliamentary year on Friday.
The silence of the lawmakers, especially those belonging to PPP, who usually appear very vocal and repetitive with their demand to take murderers of Benazir Bhutto to task, took many by surprise during the two-hour long sitting. The PPP-dominated Sindh Assembly has, however, spared not a single day of some 150 sittings held during the last two years in offering prayer for the "Martyr of Democracy".
Without any discrimination none of the 168 MPAs, including at least 90 of the People's Party, talked about the most-awaited report of the UN team who after a years-long probe have reportedly held Musharraf regime responsible for her murder.
The international investigators have reportedly concluded that the previous government's failure to provide security to the PPP leader was "deliberate" and then president, Pervez Musharraf, had done nothing except passing on the threats to the two-times prime minister of the country. The PPP leaders, however, could not maintain silence on the burning issue outside the Assembly where they were accessible to media.
"Still we have not received the report officially after which the government would certainly give a proper direction to the government's action against the culprits," PPP's senior education minister and parliamentary leader Pir Mazharul Haque commented in a pre-session media talk.
He said his side was already cognisant of many of the facts unveiled by the UN report but lodging an FIR at that time would have construed as political victimisation. Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza and Minister for Works and Services Manzoor Wassan slammed the previous government for a 'criminal negligence'.
"It's a criminal negligence not to go extra miles for the security of a two-time premier, who was attacked on October 18 at Karsaz," said Wassan. According to Khuhro, the report had shut the mouths of those who were suspecting President Zardari for the killing of his spouse. "The government would now investigate in the light of this report," he told the journalists after the session.
While the treasury members are poised to start the investigations afresh on the domestic level, Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Jam Madad Ali, sees no reason for further delay in fulfilling the popular demand for justice. Jam, in a pre-session chat, told media that: "No further delay should now be made in unmasking those responsible."