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The Bhutto Murder Trail: From Waziristan To GHQ
Drawing on personal anecdotes, meeting, off-the record conversations with Benazir Bhutto, and the emails that he exchanged with her just before ther death, Amir Mir, one of Pakistan's leading investigative journalist, brings us a carefully documented reconstruction of the assassination that rocked the world.
- GenresNonfictionPakistan
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 18, 2018
Another of those books written with obvious bias.
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during an election rally in Pakistan. It was a high profile news considering that she had been in exile for long and the elections were around the corner. There is still no clear evidence as to who her murderer is.
The book made every effort to blatantly shove all of the blame on to the then leader of Pakistan, Gen Pervez Musharraf. The author, a close friend of the late Bhutto, squarely blames Musharraf over 200 pages, while also bringing in the angle of terrorist plots. In way of evidence, he only provides for what Bhutto had alluded to before her death or speculations. There is no hard core evidence presented, nor anything refreshing. One could have written the whole book in less than 10 pages for a high school essay. The author merely chants the same mantra over and over again chapter after chapter. A big thumbs down. An excellent example of how not to write a piece of investigative journalism.
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during an election rally in Pakistan. It was a high profile news considering that she had been in exile for long and the elections were around the corner. There is still no clear evidence as to who her murderer is.
The book made every effort to blatantly shove all of the blame on to the then leader of Pakistan, Gen Pervez Musharraf. The author, a close friend of the late Bhutto, squarely blames Musharraf over 200 pages, while also bringing in the angle of terrorist plots. In way of evidence, he only provides for what Bhutto had alluded to before her death or speculations. There is no hard core evidence presented, nor anything refreshing. One could have written the whole book in less than 10 pages for a high school essay. The author merely chants the same mantra over and over again chapter after chapter. A big thumbs down. An excellent example of how not to write a piece of investigative journalism.
April 4, 2016
Three stars is enough for a book that doesn't specify the reason and motive behind Bhutto's assassination.It has lots of unedited information and some rare photographs.Give it a read if you want to know about Benazir's assassination from the angle of Musharraf's involvement.
March 15, 2017
Benazir Bhutto combined glamour with political acumen and tact when she ruled Pakistan twice as its prime minister. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former prime minister and one of the country’s tallest politicians. Pakistan had been under military rule most of the time after independence. Even while democracy was exercising its brief stint, very few elected governments had completed its full term. The military controls all aspects of the administration, and is the largest institution in the country. This book narrates the assassination of Benazir Bhutto at the behest of the military, through a jihadi suicide bomber. It also tells about the devious ways in which independent investigations of the crime were thwarted. Amir Mir is among Pakistan’s foremost investigative journalists whose insightful writings on terrorism, Islamic militant groups and their links with the country’s military and intelligence establishment have drawn widespread attention. He started his career in 1988 and has authored three books on the subject of militant Islam and terrorism.
Pakistan army’s unbridled control on civilian power originated with Zia ul Haq, who came to power in a coup and hanged the prime minister who made him the army chief overlooking the seniority of several others. As fate would have it, his ascension coincided with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This new front in the cold war between the superpowers offered grand opportunities to Pakistan to enrich themselves both physically and militarily. U.S-funded jihadis fought the Soviets with the active support of Pakistan and its intelligence agencies. The jihadis successfully evicted the Russians after a decade of heroic battles. However, this military-militant nexus was to have far-reaching impact on Pakistan, which was slowly transforming into a theocracy. The top rung of the military were themselves ultra-religious with beards and all, and they handled the jihadis fresh from numerous madrassahs in the country for purposes that are hardly over the counter. Mir states that suicide bombers can be ‘rented’ in Pakistan for as little as $1000 apiece! The Pakistani establishment that ruled over the country included the top army brass, top officials of the civil service and the super rich. The common beliefs that unites this bunch are said to be that India must be countered at every turn; that nuclear weapons have endowed Pakistan with security and status; that the fight for Jammu and Kashmir is unfinished business from the time of Partition; that large-scale social reforms such as land redistribution are unacceptable; that the uneducated and illiterate masses deserve only contempt; that vociferous Muslim nationalism is desirable but true Islamism is not; and that Washington is to be despised but fully taken advantage of” (p.208). Very few authors display such a sharp intuition and power of analysis combined in this one statement! The country’s spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has a huge arm manipulating the country’s politics. It openly rigged the elections held in 1990, and brought in right-wing religious parties into power. As the relations between jihadis and Pakistani military soured after 9/11, Pakistan was forced to deal with the genie it had released from the bottle. Jihadis ran amok in the country, killing anybody they wanted – remember the horrific mass murder of students in a Peshawar school in 2014, in which 140 children were gunned down by the Islamists? Unable to stem the tide of the terrorists, the army often entered into treaties whereby they agreed not to attack each other. The book tells of such a treaty between the Pakistan army and Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of the Tehrik e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2005. Such peace treaties with the military emboldened the terrorists and are cited as a direct cause of the growth of terrorist organizations thereafter.
Benazir Bhutto had millions of supporters in Pakistan and many thousands of admirers and fans in other countries, including India. She went into exile to escape the victimization of the government out of which she was ousted in an unconstitutional manner. She returned to Pakistan in October 2007 to contest the polls scheduled for January 2008. A humongous crowd gathered en route of the journey from Karachi airport to her home. Assailants took a shot at her life by using a suicide bomber. Though Bhutto was miraculously saved as she was resting inside her armoured vehicle at the precise moment of detonation, 179 people lost their lives in the attack, including her supporters and security guards. Not content with the scant police protection, her party had recruited a corps of volunteers called Jaan Nisarane Benazir (JNB – ‘to protect Benazir’). She accused the government of Pervez Musharraf of masterminding the assassination attempt, but nothing came out of her repeated correspondence with the Establishment. Musharraf donned the double role of the President of the Republic as well as its army chief. Anyone who opposed him found his life extremely difficult to move on. The author himself was not allowed to work for any Pakistani publication from 2006 onwards after he refused to accept the award for Best Investigative Journalist from the hands of the military dictator. Instead, he worked for many foreign journals including Mumbai’s ‘DNA’. None of the culprits of the October assault on Benazir was nabbed. As the country stepped into a feverish pitch as the elections approached, the terrorists struck again, but this time with fatal consequences. On the evening of Dec 27, 2007, Benazir’s vehicle was attacked at Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi, with a terrorist first shooting at her from close range and then detonating a suicide vest. The author devotes much space to refute the government’s claim that she was killed when her head banged against the escape hatch of the armoured car through which she was leaning outside and waving to the ecstatic party workers surrounding the vehicle. Mir asserts that she was killed by gunshot wounds. Whatever it may be, the death was surely orchestrated by powerful elements in the Establishment. Astonishingly, no effort was employed to book the guilty. The Establishment was intent on scuttling the probe from the very outset. No autopsy was conducted on the body and the crime scene was immediately washed with powerful water jets by the fire brigade. Both were violations of established police procedure, but nobody took any notice! Even the government headed by her husband that came through the elections wanted to live the status quo rather than trying to ruffle feathers. As the police had no credibility whatsoever, an investigation by a special team from the Scotland Yard and a UN Inquiry Commission was called for, with limited mandate to investigate the murder. As can be expected, the military made it impossible for the investigators to collect evidence from crucial sources. Finally, the reports submitted by them could not pinpoint the architects of the crime. Amir Mir explains the intricacies in some detail.
This book is a reflection on the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan in 2010, when democracy had just returned to it. Far from a failed state, we can only surmise that parts of the state have become dysfunctional. There is still hope for Pakistan, but only if they fall back on reality and shed the sense of victimhood. Benazir’s last political speech is reproduced in the book. Readers will be surprised to learn that she is still referring to the Partition and the wars with India even in 2007! Benazir seems to be trying to exploit the people’s sense of insecurity with bold claims like Pakistan never lost a battle under PPP’s guard. This obsession with its eastern neighbour is an obstacle for easy and friendly relations with the two neighbours. Perhaps, they could take a glimpse on electioneering in India, where Pakistan is mentioned in only one context – terrorism! The author presents many details which should make international statesmen squirm with unease at the thought of a military having nuclear capability hobnobbing with Islamic fundamentalism and accommodates terrorists to fight their proxy wars. The book is easy to read, but lacks a defining overall structure. A good number of photographs are included and a basic index too.
The book is highly recommended.
Pakistan army’s unbridled control on civilian power originated with Zia ul Haq, who came to power in a coup and hanged the prime minister who made him the army chief overlooking the seniority of several others. As fate would have it, his ascension coincided with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This new front in the cold war between the superpowers offered grand opportunities to Pakistan to enrich themselves both physically and militarily. U.S-funded jihadis fought the Soviets with the active support of Pakistan and its intelligence agencies. The jihadis successfully evicted the Russians after a decade of heroic battles. However, this military-militant nexus was to have far-reaching impact on Pakistan, which was slowly transforming into a theocracy. The top rung of the military were themselves ultra-religious with beards and all, and they handled the jihadis fresh from numerous madrassahs in the country for purposes that are hardly over the counter. Mir states that suicide bombers can be ‘rented’ in Pakistan for as little as $1000 apiece! The Pakistani establishment that ruled over the country included the top army brass, top officials of the civil service and the super rich. The common beliefs that unites this bunch are said to be that India must be countered at every turn; that nuclear weapons have endowed Pakistan with security and status; that the fight for Jammu and Kashmir is unfinished business from the time of Partition; that large-scale social reforms such as land redistribution are unacceptable; that the uneducated and illiterate masses deserve only contempt; that vociferous Muslim nationalism is desirable but true Islamism is not; and that Washington is to be despised but fully taken advantage of” (p.208). Very few authors display such a sharp intuition and power of analysis combined in this one statement! The country’s spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has a huge arm manipulating the country’s politics. It openly rigged the elections held in 1990, and brought in right-wing religious parties into power. As the relations between jihadis and Pakistani military soured after 9/11, Pakistan was forced to deal with the genie it had released from the bottle. Jihadis ran amok in the country, killing anybody they wanted – remember the horrific mass murder of students in a Peshawar school in 2014, in which 140 children were gunned down by the Islamists? Unable to stem the tide of the terrorists, the army often entered into treaties whereby they agreed not to attack each other. The book tells of such a treaty between the Pakistan army and Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of the Tehrik e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2005. Such peace treaties with the military emboldened the terrorists and are cited as a direct cause of the growth of terrorist organizations thereafter.
Benazir Bhutto had millions of supporters in Pakistan and many thousands of admirers and fans in other countries, including India. She went into exile to escape the victimization of the government out of which she was ousted in an unconstitutional manner. She returned to Pakistan in October 2007 to contest the polls scheduled for January 2008. A humongous crowd gathered en route of the journey from Karachi airport to her home. Assailants took a shot at her life by using a suicide bomber. Though Bhutto was miraculously saved as she was resting inside her armoured vehicle at the precise moment of detonation, 179 people lost their lives in the attack, including her supporters and security guards. Not content with the scant police protection, her party had recruited a corps of volunteers called Jaan Nisarane Benazir (JNB – ‘to protect Benazir’). She accused the government of Pervez Musharraf of masterminding the assassination attempt, but nothing came out of her repeated correspondence with the Establishment. Musharraf donned the double role of the President of the Republic as well as its army chief. Anyone who opposed him found his life extremely difficult to move on. The author himself was not allowed to work for any Pakistani publication from 2006 onwards after he refused to accept the award for Best Investigative Journalist from the hands of the military dictator. Instead, he worked for many foreign journals including Mumbai’s ‘DNA’. None of the culprits of the October assault on Benazir was nabbed. As the country stepped into a feverish pitch as the elections approached, the terrorists struck again, but this time with fatal consequences. On the evening of Dec 27, 2007, Benazir’s vehicle was attacked at Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi, with a terrorist first shooting at her from close range and then detonating a suicide vest. The author devotes much space to refute the government’s claim that she was killed when her head banged against the escape hatch of the armoured car through which she was leaning outside and waving to the ecstatic party workers surrounding the vehicle. Mir asserts that she was killed by gunshot wounds. Whatever it may be, the death was surely orchestrated by powerful elements in the Establishment. Astonishingly, no effort was employed to book the guilty. The Establishment was intent on scuttling the probe from the very outset. No autopsy was conducted on the body and the crime scene was immediately washed with powerful water jets by the fire brigade. Both were violations of established police procedure, but nobody took any notice! Even the government headed by her husband that came through the elections wanted to live the status quo rather than trying to ruffle feathers. As the police had no credibility whatsoever, an investigation by a special team from the Scotland Yard and a UN Inquiry Commission was called for, with limited mandate to investigate the murder. As can be expected, the military made it impossible for the investigators to collect evidence from crucial sources. Finally, the reports submitted by them could not pinpoint the architects of the crime. Amir Mir explains the intricacies in some detail.
This book is a reflection on the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan in 2010, when democracy had just returned to it. Far from a failed state, we can only surmise that parts of the state have become dysfunctional. There is still hope for Pakistan, but only if they fall back on reality and shed the sense of victimhood. Benazir’s last political speech is reproduced in the book. Readers will be surprised to learn that she is still referring to the Partition and the wars with India even in 2007! Benazir seems to be trying to exploit the people’s sense of insecurity with bold claims like Pakistan never lost a battle under PPP’s guard. This obsession with its eastern neighbour is an obstacle for easy and friendly relations with the two neighbours. Perhaps, they could take a glimpse on electioneering in India, where Pakistan is mentioned in only one context – terrorism! The author presents many details which should make international statesmen squirm with unease at the thought of a military having nuclear capability hobnobbing with Islamic fundamentalism and accommodates terrorists to fight their proxy wars. The book is easy to read, but lacks a defining overall structure. A good number of photographs are included and a basic index too.
The book is highly recommended.
January 22, 2016
I had just finished school when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, the series of exchange of emails and the forensic reports and the supposedly politics involved can stun you. Good source of information for anyone interested in understanding the events that have rocked the world for decades!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2017
3.5 Stars.
I picked up this book because I wanted to know how the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto took place on 27th December 2007 and its background. Although it's been a decade since the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and the actual perpetrators still remain at large. The question whether justice would be served to her to avenge her death still remains a pipe dream despite a number of investigations which have been carried out regarding her assassination and amongst them, the UN Commission remains most proverbial one which the author has discussed critically and quite extensively in this book.
It is clear that some people in Pakistan wanted her dead particularly the then dictator President of Pakistan, Musharaf who did not want her to return to Pakistan till the General Elections had taken place on 8th January 2008 because he could have easily won the rigged elections in absence of any major politician so much so, that he explicitly warned her too of the consequences.
I agree with other reviewers that there are some serious editing issues with this book such as the information presented is in hotchpotch manner. It would have been great had the author started her struggle against the dictatorships right from the incarceration of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto till her assassination because, since the beginning of her political career, these people wanted to dissuade her from speaking up against them and participate in politics. Hence, she had to go through difficult times during the tenure of dictator Zia-ul-Haq in the 80's.
Moreover, to my utter surprise and dismay, the author has not mentioned an assassination attempt on her in 1993 by the notorious terrorist, Ramzi Yusuf who was called in Pakistan by Sipa-e-Sahabah. He wanted to blow up Bilawal House in Karachi but he actually failed in his attempt.
In the end, I would like to say that this is like one of those books which can only be understood properly if the reader is quite aware of Pakistani politics and history particularly the role of the military in politics.
I picked up this book because I wanted to know how the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto took place on 27th December 2007 and its background. Although it's been a decade since the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and the actual perpetrators still remain at large. The question whether justice would be served to her to avenge her death still remains a pipe dream despite a number of investigations which have been carried out regarding her assassination and amongst them, the UN Commission remains most proverbial one which the author has discussed critically and quite extensively in this book.
It is clear that some people in Pakistan wanted her dead particularly the then dictator President of Pakistan, Musharaf who did not want her to return to Pakistan till the General Elections had taken place on 8th January 2008 because he could have easily won the rigged elections in absence of any major politician so much so, that he explicitly warned her too of the consequences.
I agree with other reviewers that there are some serious editing issues with this book such as the information presented is in hotchpotch manner. It would have been great had the author started her struggle against the dictatorships right from the incarceration of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto till her assassination because, since the beginning of her political career, these people wanted to dissuade her from speaking up against them and participate in politics. Hence, she had to go through difficult times during the tenure of dictator Zia-ul-Haq in the 80's.
Moreover, to my utter surprise and dismay, the author has not mentioned an assassination attempt on her in 1993 by the notorious terrorist, Ramzi Yusuf who was called in Pakistan by Sipa-e-Sahabah. He wanted to blow up Bilawal House in Karachi but he actually failed in his attempt.
In the end, I would like to say that this is like one of those books which can only be understood properly if the reader is quite aware of Pakistani politics and history particularly the role of the military in politics.
May 7, 2018
The Bhuttto murder trail by Mir amir is a document of an assassination that shook everyone a decade ago. I picked this book with the hope of knowing in detail about the murder trail. The book gives a detailed picture of the tragedy. The author has shared a few experiences and interviews with Ms Bhutto, emails from her, excerpts from the reports of UN inquiry commission, Bhuttto's death report published by the government and anecdotes from a few other books and journals. At one point it becomes too much of information shared and the same information is repeated in several places. Unstructured flow makes it hard to read. However,an interesting read that speaks very bold against the military rule in Pak, the Islamic establishments and other sources who disliked Bhutto and her ideologies. The book ends with a translated version of her last speach, a few old photographs and her handwritten letters. To sum up,this read leaves the million dollar question unanswered!
March 4, 2021
Amir Mir draws on various sources to describe Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. Despite the fact that a Pakistan People’s Party government completed full five years in power with Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, as the President of the country, we are nowhere nearer to the truth. It is astonishing that despite numerous high-level investigations carried out by domestic and international experts, we still have same facts surrounding Bhutto’s assassination that had been provided within first 72 hours by the government of that time.
May 5, 2018
It was an Ok read. Too much details and since there was no concrete proof against anybody, the analysis was circumstantial. A lot of excerpts from Various speeches, books, reports etc were there. There is no doubt that the author has done a lot of hard work in collecting all relevant information and assemble the same to point fingers to Musharraf. However, I could not find the argument convincing.
July 17, 2023
The book is insightful and but not investigative. Gives the reader a peek towards the turbulent Pak Political-Military relationship. However, the book gets only 3 stars because the author has over stressed on a lot of irrelevant information, documents, reports etc. You'll find yourself skipping pages and trying to find the essence. The book more so presents facts and doesn't much dwell into analysis. For someone who already has a good background knowledge of Pak Political history this book doesn't provide much. But for someone who is new to this subject this book is good to begin with. The book also makes a lot of other interesting revelations on the issues of Afghanistan, Kashmir and terrorism.
November 15, 2020
I did my school report on Ms. Bhutto, because she was the first women chosen by the people to run an Islamic country. She stood for freedom and peace. I also remember seeing her assassination on tv, killed while she was on her way back from a rally.
Amir Mir, one of Pakistan's leading investigative journalist has put to together personal interactions that he had with her along with everything leading up to her assassination and the chaos that followed.
It is a great read but also feels a like there is a lot of reiteration and could have been cut down by at least 50-80 pages.
Amir Mir, one of Pakistan's leading investigative journalist has put to together personal interactions that he had with her along with everything leading up to her assassination and the chaos that followed.
It is a great read but also feels a like there is a lot of reiteration and could have been cut down by at least 50-80 pages.
September 22, 2021
Without giving any concrete proof the writer goes on around blaming people which becomes boring by the end of the novel.
In my opinion,’ Ms Bhutto said, ‘terrorists have no religion or nationality because those who are killing innocent people can themselves not belong to any creed or nation.
In my opinion,’ Ms Bhutto said, ‘terrorists have no religion or nationality because those who are killing innocent people can themselves not belong to any creed or nation.
Read
February 11, 2020Wastage of time
October 2, 2020
Started off well, but then after a point every chapter is a repetition of the previous one.
May 29, 2019
This book is about murder of Benazir Bhutto a liberal face of otherwise conservative Pakistan. The whole book is a running commentary of how Benazir Bhutto came back to Pakistan from her self imposed exile from the luxuries of Dubai to fight election and no wonder killed in Pakistan by the pawns of ruling Musharraf regime.
The book unnecessarily digs into details of murder like full details of her post mortem which is very distasteful to read. One have to actually skip those dirty pages to avoid vomiting in disgust. Since author does not have much to write about the story he had to fill the pages with such garbage. Since throughout the investigations by various agencies no outcome have come, the book remains incomplete and inconclusive.
The book unnecessarily digs into details of murder like full details of her post mortem which is very distasteful to read. One have to actually skip those dirty pages to avoid vomiting in disgust. Since author does not have much to write about the story he had to fill the pages with such garbage. Since throughout the investigations by various agencies no outcome have come, the book remains incomplete and inconclusive.
May 19, 2016
ctually , the book was picked up by my wife from indiaplaza.in and they did deliver in time and at a good discount .( must add I am seeing delays from the same place for a different book)
Picked it up with lots of expectations and book does attempt to 'uncover' some mysteries...it talks about the controversies about the actual cause of death , the Govt view , the media , the PPP's .....and the reasons behind these views.
Benazir's courage and conviction on the face of threats is wow. Not sure how such people keep themselves driven ...
The power of 'establishment' is clearly mentioned here and the helplessness of the various democratically elected governments. Infact there have not been any concrete progress even with PPP in power
But after a point the author gets repetitive and no new information seems to come out.
All in all : I would think there are more investigative books on the topic ( yet to check any one ) if readers of this know of any nice books on the topic please let me know
And now -- Todays paper says India to invite Pak army chief, and members of ISI for the watching the Indo-Pak quarterfinal match in Mohali. Makes sense?
Picked it up with lots of expectations and book does attempt to 'uncover' some mysteries...it talks about the controversies about the actual cause of death , the Govt view , the media , the PPP's .....and the reasons behind these views.
Benazir's courage and conviction on the face of threats is wow. Not sure how such people keep themselves driven ...
The power of 'establishment' is clearly mentioned here and the helplessness of the various democratically elected governments. Infact there have not been any concrete progress even with PPP in power
But after a point the author gets repetitive and no new information seems to come out.
All in all : I would think there are more investigative books on the topic ( yet to check any one ) if readers of this know of any nice books on the topic please let me know
And now -- Todays paper says India to invite Pak army chief, and members of ISI for the watching the Indo-Pak quarterfinal match in Mohali. Makes sense?
December 4, 2013
For a detailed description in terms of the editorials and from a journalist's point of view, this book has done justice. But I was hoping for little more of a rhetoric write up.
December 29, 2014
Looks the book missed the editing; lot of repetition, may of which come in same chapter as well, could have been edited out. Otherwise gives a good insight.
Read
September 25, 2018I was both excited and curious with the thought of reading this book. Had followed the news religiously when the incident had taken place back in 2007. I was expecting way too much from the book and Mir Amir, considering his closeness with BB. Before her assassination BB had mentioned her conspirators, yet the book does not reveal the real cause of her death or who was behind it, a lot of things are just repetitive. However, it was interesting to read how the author has written so boldly against the Establishment in Pak, the Military rule and BB's take on the then government. With all this written, the book could still not answer the question of who was behind BB's assassination.
The book is worth reading once to get detailed insight on the events after the assassination.
The book is worth reading once to get detailed insight on the events after the assassination.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews