Seventeen years have passed since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female prime minister, but the mystery behind her tragic death remains unsolved.
During this period, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been in power nearly three times, yet it has failed to uncover the truth and present it to the public.
On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated as she departed a rally at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi. Gunfire followed by a deadly explosion claimed her life, leaving the nation in shock.
Over the years, several individuals and groups have been implicated, including al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, former president General Pervez Musharraf, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) founder Baitullah Mehsud, and police officers Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad.
In 2017, a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court sentenced the two police officers to 17 years in prison for negligence and evidence tampering, while acquitting five other suspects after over 300 hearings.
Investigations by Scotland Yard and a UN commission pointed fingers at certain military officials, but the PPP government dismissed the UN report through its inquiry committee.
Key suspects Baitullah Mehsud and Osama bin Laden were later killed in drone strikes and military operations, while no substantial evidence was found against Musharraf.
The case is now effectively closed, with appeals against the police officers’ convictions still pending. Insiders claim that concrete evidence about the real culprits was never presented in court.
TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud acknowledged in his book that the group was behind Benazir’s assassination but offered no details about who orchestrated the killing or the broader conspiracy.
The unresolved questions surrounding Benazir Bhutto’s murder continue to haunt Pakistan, leaving a significant gap in its pursuit of justice and accountability.
