The mystery of Benazir Bhutto's assassination still haunts power corridors as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday showed its firm resolve that the party will arrest Benazir's killers if the incumbent government failed to arrest them. Senator Mushahidullah Khan of the PML-N while taking part in the budget debate in Senate, flayed the ruling PPP by reciting some pinching verses, instead of giving recommendations on the Finance Bill.
The PML-N leader spoke in a touching manner and said that those who claimed to be the torch-bearers of the slain PPP leader, could not do anything despite being in power for more than four years. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, late Benazir's son, he added, had declared that Musharaf was his mother's killer. His party, he said, which was led by none other than his father, Asif Zardari, gave a red-carpet farewell to the military dictator.
Without mentioning anyone particular, Mushahidullah Khan did not hesitate to target some top government ministers, saying that Benazir's killers were roaming freely while some of them were even seen sitting close to the leader of the house during the budget speech. He said that misappropriation of funds had been reported in the construction of monument erected in memory of late Benazir. "How can anyone expect that these people will arrest her (Benazir's) killers."
Dubbing the recently hand picked minister-turned-adviser to the prime minister on interior Rehman Malik a part of the intelligence apparatus, he said that the man belonged to secret agencies was being entrusted with a most important portfolio - that of the interior ministry.
The verbal attack on Rehman Malik did not stop there. He also held him responsible for mass killings in Karachi. He said: "If Jehangir Badr had been the interior minister, the city would not have lost 7,000 precious lives [and] nobody can think of peace until Rehman Malik is there...".
Referring to the government's failures on economic and political fronts, he said that the PPP-led coalition government had miserably failed to deliver, adding that worsening power crisis and law and order situation had made the life of the common man unbearable. "If the government had delivered during the last four years, the last budget presented by it would not have shown fiscal deficit," he said, adding that the people would decided in the election how much the PPP had delivered in its entire tenure. After the government presented its fifth budget, there was neither peace, nor water or electricity in the country. "Only petroleum and gas prices have increased much more."
Condemning the government for its bad performance in Balochistan, he said that the government had raised the slogan of new provinces but no money was allocated for new provinces in the budget. He also criticised President Asif Ali Zardai for giving Rs 91 million from the national exchequer to Ajmer Sharif shrine during his visit to India. Senator Usman Saifullah of the PPP said that the domestic economic growth was necessary to reduce poverty and progress but growth should be on equal basis. He said that effective measure had not been taken in the budget, adding that subsidy on electricity should only be given to the poor.