ISLAMABAD // Following up the UN inquiry into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani government suspended eight officials who were accused of criminal negligence and obstructing subsequent investigations. But critics here have termed the move as insufficient and are urging the government to form a powerful judicial commission to bring the culprits to justice.
Benazir Bhutto, one of Pakistan's most popular politicians, who served two terms as prime minister, was assassinated in a bomb and gun attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007 as she was campaigning for general elections.
The eight suspended government officials include Saud Aziz, who was police chief of Rawalpindi, the garrison city adjacent to the capital. A ninth official, Javed Iqbal Cheema, a retired brigadier heading the Civil Defence Organisation, had his contract terminated. Mr Cheema was the spokesperson of the interior ministry at the time of the assassination and had hurriedly conducted a news conference in which he blamed Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of Pakistani Taliban, as being responsible for the killing.
The United Nations report, made public last week, had faulted the government of the former president, Pervez Musharraf, for not effectively providing security to Bhutto and accused the country's powerful intelligence agencies of severely hampering the investigations.
The UN report also identified Major Gen Nadeem Ijaz, then head of military intelligence and a relative of Mr Musharraf, as having ordered Mr Aziz, the police chief, to hose down the crime scene, which resulted in the destruction of evidence. No action has been taken against Gen Ijaz.
The ruling government of the Pakistan Peoples Party was quick to move against civilian officials, however, even though no criminal investigations have been initiated.
Some current and former government officials say the UN report has no legal validity and any action based on its findings can be challenged in the courts.
"According to rules and procedures, no action can be taken against any government official unless a proper legal investigation has been completed," said Shamshad Ahmad, a former foreign secretary. "If the purpose of the government is to determine the truth and nothing else then there is no way other than forming an independent judicial commission."
He urged the government to form a powerful independent commission, and suggested it be headed by a former chief justice of the Supreme Court and leading senior investigators and medical experts.
Mr Ahmad, like most Pakistanis, dismissed the UN report as lacking any new information or facts. "In my view, it is nothing. It is tantamount to distraction and perhaps an eyewash," he said.
That the most important question - who killed Bhutto - is unanswered in the UN report has led to much criticism within the country.
Mr Ahmad, who has served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations, said the idea of UN diplomats investigating a murder case was faulty from the start. "I can never imagine investigating a criminal case in my own country let alone in a foreign country. Diplomats are not trained for this."
Mr Ahmad's demand for the formation of a judicial commission is supported by Hamid Gul, a retired army general and former head of the country's powerful spy organisation, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.
Mr Gul was named by Bhutto as one of the people who wanted to assassinate her when she was planning to return to the country in 2007.
Mr Gul, who is a vocal critic of the United States and Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower, accused the current government of dithering and dragging its feet in identifying and bringing Bhutto's killers to justice.
"Mr Zardari himself maybe involved," Mr Gul said, voicing a common, if unproven, conspiracy theory. The UN report absolved Mr Zardari, saying there was no truth in such rumours but his critics continue to believe otherwise.
This week, Pakistani news media reported that Mr Gul was also placed on the "exit control list", along with the suspended officials. The interior ministry usually puts people on the list who are under criminal investigation and at the same time they are barred from leaving the country.
The role of the Pakistani interior minister, Rehman Malik, is also under the spotlight. The minister is one of the most trusted aides to Mr Zardari. But some PPP officials and analysts have sharply questioned his actions on the day of Bhutto's assassination.
Mr Malik, along with Babar Awan, the law minister and another close aide to Mr Zardari, left the political rally on the day of the assassination in a bulletproof car that was supposed to act as Bhutto's backup vehicle.
Ikram Sehgal, a leading analyst and editor of Defense Journal magazine, today wrote a scathing article in The News, the country's leading daily English-language newspaper, accusing Mr Malik of culpability.
"Why President Zardari is so keen to absolve these two characters when they are guilty of abandoning his critically injured wife when even a few critical minutes would have made the difference between life and death?" Sehgal asked in his article.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company%20profile
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Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
