Radio Australia : Benazir's niece critical of her Pakistan return

Benazir's niece critical of her Pakistan return

October 24, 2007

Pakistan is proposing banning large rallies ahead of January's parliamentary elections to avoid a repeat of last week's deadly suicide bombings during Benazir Bhutto's homecoming. Ms Bhutto has now suggested taking her campaign online.

But her opponents, including members of her family, say that won't wipe away the blood on her hands from last week's carnage.

Fatima Bhutto, the 25 year-old niece of Benazir Bhutto told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program that her aunt is responsible for lives lost in the attempt on her life.

"What I do feel, not as a niece, what a do feel as a member of the media in Pakistan, as a member of the press and as a citizen of Karachi. I think that the whole performance of her return was very dangerous to the city and to these people and she bears responsibility for these 140 lives that have been lost," she said.

"These 200,000 people ... were here on her behalf at her invitation. And for her to come out after the fact and say I knew there was a danger of a suicide bombing and I was warned that an attack would take place - well, it's very irresponsible of her to place all these peoples' lives at risk, while she herself was very protected. She had a bulletproof car and she spoke behind fortified steel containers, but these people were out in the open," she said.

And she says Ms Bhutto's return has derailed the democratic political process.

"The deal under which she came back, the terms that were set, including Musharraf dropping her corruption charges, I mean this has proved very dangerous for this country, because first of all, not only will it wipe out 20 years' worth of corruption charges and violence from various politicians, bureaucrats and bankers, but it also includes a provision that will make it virtually impossible for citizens of this country to file charges against a sitting parliamentarian," she said.