ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP has for the first timeclaimed responsibility for the assassination of former Pakistani PrimeMinister Benazir Bhutto in a new book written by Taliban leader Abu MansoorAsim Mufti Noor Wali.
Ms Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi shortly after sheaddressed an election rally on December 27, 2007 and members of the thenmilitary regime of General Pervez Musharraf had blamed the TTP for it. Theoutfit had so far maintained silence over the assassination.
No group had claimed responsibility for Ms Bhutto’s murder until the claimin “Inqilab Mehsood South Waziristan – From British Raj to AmericanImperialism.” The book says suicide bombers Bilal, who was also known asSaeed, and Ikramullah were tasked to carry out the attack on Ms Bhutto onDecember 27.
“Bomber Bilal first fired at Benazir Bhutto from his pistol and the bullethit her neck. Then he detonated his explosive jacket and blew himself upamong the participants of the procession,” Daily Times on Monday quoted thebook as saying.
After Ms Bhutto’s assassination, the Musharraf regime had released an audioconversation purportedly between the two Taliban men talking about MsBhutto’s death.
The book also claims that the Taliban was behind another attack on MsBhutto, carried out by two suicide bombers in October 2007 in Karachi, inwhich nearly 140 people died.
“Despite attacks on Benazir Bhutto’s procession in Karachi, the governmenthad not taken appropriate security measures that made it possible for theattackers to have easy access to Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi,” claims thebook.
The book says that Baitullah Mehsud, the then head of the TTP, who waskilled in a US drone strike in 2009, had approved the attack on Ms Bhutto’sprocession in October 2007, when she returned to Pakistan to lead thecampaign for the 2008 parliamentary elections.
“The return of Benazir Bhutto was planned on the behest of the Americans asthey had given her a plan against the Mujahideed-e-Islam. Baitullah hadreceived information of the plan. So when Benazir Bhutto arrived inKarachi, two suicide bombers Mohsin Mehsood and Rehmatullah Mehsod carriedout attacks on her procession at Karsaz area of Karachi,” the book claims.
Musharraf had been formally charged in the case by an anti-terrorism courtin Rawalpindi in August 2017. The ATC also declared Musharraf an absconderin the case. Musharraf has denied any involvement in Ms Bhutto’sassassination on a number of occasions.
The book also mentions that the investigating bodies had held the outfitresponsible for Ms Bhutto’s killing but they had denied their involvementuntil 27 December 2017, on her 10th death anniversary. It presents noreason why the TTP changed its stance.
The book, covers the TTP’s history, its attacks, military operations in thetribal regions, TTP’s activities in Afghanistan, tribal system, Mehsoodtribe role in the TTP, TTP operations in Karachi and its campaign againstpolio vaccination. -Agencies