Is Zardari looking for scapegoats?

By Maqbool Malik

ISLAMABAD - Why President Asif Ali Zardari in particular and his ruling PPP in general are upset over the findings of Cabinet Secretary Rauf Chaudhry-led three-member fact finding committee probing into the issue of hosing down of murder scene of Benazir Bhutto?

It is so unusual after honest and hard work of the committee set up by the Prime Minister Gilani with sole mandate to ascertain causes of hosing down of the site where former party chairperson Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in mysterious circumsstances on December 27, 2007.

The fact-finding committee was supposed to submit its report to the Prime Minister within a week. However, the committee has been granted more time to complete its findings in the light of now altered mandate, a move many believed is directed to find scapegoats.

Well-placed official sources informed TheNation on Tuesday that President Zardari who in the presence of Prime Minister Gilani chaired an important meeting of the PPP's core committee in Presidency that deliberated findings of the fact-finding committee over three hours late last night.

The sources were of the view that President Zardari was critical about the findings of the committee, which eventually led to a change in mandate its committee. The committee has been directed to complete its findings in the light of UN Commission's report.

According to the sources, the committee has completed its findings on the basis of given statements and evidences and it had reached to a conclusion that police washed the crime scene outside without any pressure or any order from higher authorities.

It said police ordered the hosing down of the site in order to avoid a law and order situation because workers of Pakistan People's Party were in an agitated state.

The committee recorded statements of 40 people, including former MI chief and officials of police, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Rescue 15.

The committee saw about 150 evidences, including 39 forensic evidences, and looked into the documentary record of wireless communication of police and mobile record of the accused.

The sources said the former MI chief had already rejected the impression that he had ordered the hosing down of the site. General Ijaz told the committee members that he and his men had nothing to do with the washing of the site.

The former CPO presented the details of evidences and other material police had collected in addition to extensive photographs of the crime scene.

Aziz negated the UN report, saying it was not based on facts because the crime scene was washed after collecting all necessary evidences. He was of the view that in many such incidents, crime scenes were washed even within half an hour after the crime.

He termed the UN report a flawed one, saying a lot credible details he had provided to the commission had not been incorporated in the report.

He apprised the committee that the evidence collected from the site was sufficient and provided lead to the joint investigation team to put hand on real culprits, but no significant progress had been seen so far.

SP Khurram Shahzad endorsed the statement of Saud Aziz, saying the site was washed after the collection of evidences.

Political observers were of the view that one of the primary reasons of President Zardari's annoyance over the findings of the committee was that sooner or later people being suspected and interrogated would be cleared and all fingers would be directed towards him being BB's husband and her political heir.

"Now when most of the suspects mentioned in the UN report have been interrogated by the fact finding committee and most of them had been cleared, the blame of assassination of Benazir Bhutto at the end of the day would directly come on the President", a source said.

He was of the view that President Asif Ali Zardari, the BB husband, had in fact so much at stake. " Naturally, he should the most worried person if the committee fails in finding some scapegoats."