Karsaz Tragedy Saeed Ghani alleges evidence was destroyed after attacks on Benazir Bhutto

Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani has alleged that evidence was destroyed after the Karsaz bombing and the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, hampering investigations into the two attacks.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Ghani said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government had arranged investigations into both incidents after coming to power, involving investigators from Scotland and the United Nations. He said the party had also submitted the names of several alleged suspects to the courts, but expressed disappointment that the accused had been acquitted.

Ghani made the remarks after visiting the graves of victims of the Karsaz tragedy at Azam Basti graveyard in Karachi. He was accompanied by PPP Sindh General Secretary Senator Saeed Waqar Mehdi and other party leaders.

Seven victims of the October 18, 2007, bombing are buried at the graveyard, Ghani said. He added that the party visited the graves of those killed in the attack every year to pay tribute to them.

The minister noted that many of the victims were young people, most of them no older than 25.

“The party’s senior leadership has directed us not only to remember all the martyrs but also to maintain the closest possible contact with their families,” he said.

Ghani said PPP office-bearers and workers had remained at the Karsaz site until late on Saturday night and would continue their presence throughout Sunday.

Responding to questions about the attacks, he said the violence of May 12, 2007, and other similar incidents had well-known circumstances. However, he described the Karsaz bombing and Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, as interconnected events.

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Ghani alleged that the same elements were involved in both attacks and that they were intended to target Benazir Bhutto.

He claimed that the crime scenes at Karsaz and the location in Rawalpindi where Bhutto was assassinated had been washed shortly after the incidents, destroying evidence that could have helped investigators establish what happened.

“It is not easy to reach a definitive conclusion in a suicide bombing of this nature,” Ghani said. He alleged that the authorities at the time had failed to collect crucial evidence and had allowed the crime scenes to be washed immediately.

The allegations reflect the PPP leader’s account of the investigations and have not been independently established in his remarks.

Ghani said the subsequent PPP government had pursued investigations into both attacks and presented the names of several alleged suspects before the courts. He said it was the judiciary’s responsibility to determine whether those accused were responsible and regretted their acquittals.

He also criticised what he described as the suspicion directed towards families whose loved ones had died in the attacks. Ghani said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and the victims’ families had suffered immensely.

The minister added that the PPP had again challenged the relevant judicial decision.

On the distribution of resources between the federal government and the provinces, Ghani said the Constitution clearly defined their respective rights and that disputes should be resolved under the Constitution and the law.

Asked about proposals to create new provinces or administrative units, he said the PPP had consistently maintained that any such changes must follow constitutional and legal procedures.

Ghani also commented on whether cantonment areas should come under elected mayors, saying mayors should have the authority to exercise control over their cities.

Earlier, Senator Waqar Mehdi said 19 years had passed since the Karsaz bombing, describing it as one of the largest attacks on a political party’s rally anywhere in the world.

Mehdi said more than 175 young PPP workers had been killed and hundreds injured in the attack. He also alleged that the Karsaz and Rawalpindi crime scenes had been washed and that both attacks formed part of a conspiracy to target Benazir Bhutto.

Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser Syed Najmi Alam, PPP East District President Iqbal Sand, Farhan Ghani, Lala Rahim, Sarwar Ghazi and other party leaders also attended the visit.

Ghani and the accompanying leaders offered Fateha at the graves of the seven victims buried at Azam Basti graveyard, paying tribute to those killed in the Karsaz tragedy.