News
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
‘Passengers of BB’s backup car must be questioned’* Yousuf Talpur urges PM to order investigators to ask top party officials who took away Benazir’s backup vehicle
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday called for the questioning of those who drove away a backup car from the site of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
The demand from within the PPP came from MNA Yousuf Talpur during debate in the National Assembly on the president’s address to a joint sitting of parliament.
A close associate of Benazir, Talpur urged Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to order investigators to ask top party officials who took away the car Benazir was supposed to use in case of an emergency.
Although Talpur did not name anybody, Law Minister Babar Awan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar and Lt Gen (r) Tauqeer Zia - all of whom, save Zia, are now close to President Asif Ali Zardari and appointed to key government slots – were in the backup vehicle.
According to initial security plans, the backup car was supposed to remain at the site until the bulletproof vehicle Bhutto was travelling in had safely driven away from a public park in Rawalpindi.
Talpur said it was time for investigators to find out what made those in the vehicle drive away the backup car.
According to the various accounts, no vehicle was available at the site to take Benazir to hospital after the assassin targeted her, and she had to be driven to hospital in Sherry Rehman’s car with burst tyres.
Talpur said people in Sindh were waiting for word on who killed their “beloved leader” and why her killers had not been punished.
Participating in the debate, Marvi Memon of PML-Q alleged that the government was violating merit, and had not fulfilled a single promise made with the masses. She said while unemployment, hunger and poverty were major problems in country, the government had not taken any measure to overcome these problems.
Nadeem Afzal Gondal said Zardari was “a man of commitment ... he has fulfilled his promise to restore the 1973 Constitution”.
Pervez Khan praised Zardari for fulfilling his promise to repeal the 17th Amendment and giving provinces greater autonomy under the 18th Amendment. He called for the launch of development projects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – a province severely affected by the war on terror.
Naseer Bhutta urged the government to take concrete measures to create jobs and reduce poverty. He also called for practical measures to overcome the power crisis.
Tariq Mehmood Bajwa also praised the president for his “constructive role” in the passage of the 18th Amendment.
Raja Muhammad Asad Khan urged the government to hold those corrupt accountable.
Maulana Asmatullah called on the government to take effective measures to develop Balochistan.
Earlier, the Lower House passed a resolution moved by Manpower Minister Khurshid Shah to restore the question hour during the debate on the presidential address. The PML-N had boycotted the proceedings in protest at the suspension of the question hour.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk