The New Nation - Internet Edition

A suicide bomb attack on the procession of Ms Banazir Bhutto, Chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday night claimed 139 human lives so far and wounded over 500 but Benazir remained unhurt. Tens of thousands of her supporters gathered at the Karachi Airport to greet their self-exiled leader. Benazir, also a former Prime Minister returned home from exile after eight years to implement a power sharing deal with President General Parvez Mosharraf who is also the Chief Of Pakistan Army.

But who did execute the suicide bomb attack? Was she a real target or was it to frighten her to leave the country? The PPP has blamed the government's failures to provide with necessary security while the party chairman pointed her fingers to the ex-army men loyal to ex. President General Ziaul Haque. Her husband Asif Zardari, still in exile, put the responsibility on those who fear losing power. But the US State Department refrained from naming any particular group though it condemned the carnage.

To this, a professor of Dhaka University said, "Benazir cannot avoid her responsibility. She ignored the request of the intelligence departments to cut short the procession time and to use helicopter to reach her residence."

In Pakistan, there are five political forces at present. These are the five-party Islamic alliance which want an modern Islamic state, former Prime Minister Newaj Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League working for a bourgeoisie democratic state, President Parvez Musharraf's Quide-i-Azam Muslim League of identical character and enjoying Army backing, Pakistan People's Party, once Pro-Beijing socialist, now a close ally of the USA, and the religious extremists having no clear cut objective other than confusing people.

Another interesting matter is that the route the PPP was using had no electricity at that moment. Are we to believe that Benzair or her men did not give importance to it or simply took it for temporary load shedding? The Government of Pakistan must investigate the cause of load shedding to bring the culprits to justice. We do not want to make any comment before a neutral inquiry is held.

However, we condemn the massacre and hoe that the intelligence departments shall not make one a scapegoat to hide the real story.

Rabbani

Dhaka