PPP leadership may now fall on Mukhtoom Fahim

Benazir Bhutto8217;s killing is a deep-rooted political conspiracy. I refuse to accept that the Taliban could do it without active help...

Benazir Bhutto8217;s killing is a deep-rooted political conspiracy. I refuse to accept that the Taliban could do it without active help from the pro-Taliban functionaries in the establishment. However, I must add that the present regime could not have had a hand in her death. After all, she was working in tandem with the military regime. The blame for her death lies at the doors of government functionaries who are sympathetic to the Taliban.

There is certainly something more than what meets the eye here. I have always held the belief that free and fair elections are not possible unless the elements sympathetic to the Taliban are removed. Her killing only reinforces my belief.

Apart from the fact that her death has taken away the most charismatic leader in Pakistan, I think it is India that will suffer the most. For, in her death, this country has lost a Pakistani leader who was eager to normalise relations between the two. Along with President Pervez Musharraf she could have played a vital role in bringing the two neighbours closer.

The killing leaves some uncomfortable questions that the regime headed by President Pervez Musharraf will be asked soon. Why was the killer with the gun allowed to come so close to Benazir so as to manage a shot at her? She had a three-tier security ring around her. Unless the security agencies were involved in the conspiracy, it would not have been possible for anyone to breach the security cover.

I had the opportunity to travel extensively with Benazir when she was the Pakistan Prime Minister. While the fact that she was born in a political family did make her choose her words carefully, she was quite the opposite when she trusted someone.

She was the liberal face of Pakistan8217;s polity. Sharp, strong-willed, intelligent and highly focused in whatever she was doing, Benazir was a born leader. And, she had energy like few else. The country has lost a moderate, democratic leader who was a frontrunner for the post of Prime Minister.

As for the Pakistan People8217;s Party PPP, I think with her children still too young, it will be left to somebody else to lead the party. The problem with PPP is that it was a purely dynastic party, with no second-rung leadership having ever been groomed. Two names that come to mind as possible replacements are Fatima Bhutto, the daughter of Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Mukhtoom Amin Fahim, the respected leader from Sindh. Fahim could be acceptable to the establishment too.

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With Benazir gone, it will be only be downhill for Pakistan now. What will happen to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy in Pakistan that she was part of along with leaders of other political parties? I have been repeatedly asked if Nawaz Sharif could be the next target of an assassination bid. The answer is yes and no. Yes, if Benazir8217;s death was orchestrated as part of some grand political design. However, if her death was actually the handiwork of Taliban elements, then Sharif has nothing to worry about. His closeness to the Mullahs and Islamists is no big secret. Why would they kill him and lose a sympathiser?

But, as of now, the biggest beneficiary of Benazir8217;s death will be Nawaz himself. He will certainly become more powerful now as rudderless PPP leaders and worker will look towards him for leadership.

Will elections be held in Pakistan as scheduled? My answer has to be a big no. Elections will be postponed once again.

8212;Senior Pak journalist Aroosa Alam, who is in India, spoke to Maneesh Chhibber