Musharraf: Don’t Blame me, Blame Her
Posted on January 3, 2008 - Filed Under Bhutto, Pakistan |
Don’t blame me, blame her. That’s the word from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today.
Musharraf vehemently denied that he or his government played any role in the death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and instead blamed her for not heeding warnings to take extra precautions. When asked directly if his government had any role in the assassination, he responded: “Frankly, I consider the question below my dignity to answer, but however I would like to answer it,” Musharraf told the reporter from Britain’s Sky News.
“I have been brought up in a very educated and civilized family which believes in values, which believes in principles, which believes in character,” he said at a news conference for foreign journalists held at the president’s house. “My family is not a family which believes in killing people.”
Musharraf added that he did not think the nation’s powerful intelligence services were capable of recruiting someone to carry out a suicide bombing against Bhutto.
The NY Times reported that Musharraf claims Ms. Bhutto had defied the government’s warnings when she decided to go ahead with the rally in Rawalpindi, where she was killed a week ago. He added that she had broken standard security rules by standing in the open top of her vehicle as the crowd swarmed around her and by not leaving the rally quickly.
That has left many to wonder was it also her fault for calling for fair and open elections and for being a strong voice against terrorism that ultimately made her a target of assassination? And if so, what does that say for President Musharraf?
Sphere: Related ContentComments
One Response to “Musharraf: Don’t Blame me, Blame Her”
Leave a Reply
You forgot to mention that Bhutto had asked Musharraf for extra security due to the previous attempt on her life, and was on her way that day to meet with American representatives regarding Musharraf’s continued inaction in meeting her extra security needs.