In Pakistan, it has long been said that the choices for successful politicians are very limited, including little more than 'from takhat to takhta' – from throne to crypt. That certainly proved true for Benazir Bhutto, who lost her life on 27 December while attempting to gain some additional space for Pakistan's democratic forces. Still more worrying, however, is the aftermath of that tragic event, and its ramifications for the country at large.
Following the assassination, Pakistan has been plunged into chaos, with Pakistanis being quick to express their grief and anger through both peaceful and violent protests. Around two dozen people died on the spot with 'B B', and many others lost their lives during the subsequent demonstrations. The economic losses have likewise been huge – in the billions of rupees – with much of the country's infrastructure, especially in interior Sindh, now largely in shambles. There was one place that was quickly cleaned up, however. The scene of the murder – Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, the place where Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951 – was hurriedly washed up on the orders of a top police official. An event watched by disbelieving television audiences, the hosing down of the assassination site destroyed most of the forensic evidence.
Many who were expecting a state-level funeral for the twice-elected prime minister and head of the major opposition party were to be disappointed. Islamabad's conclusion not to organise an elaborate event was justified on grounds of security, but the decision was also obviously aimed at avoiding public backlash against the government. To keep the situation in the capital under control, no official post-mortem was undertaken, and Benazir's coffin was sent to her ancestral home in Sindh under cover of darkness.
The situation was further complicated by conflicting and irresponsible statements by the government's spokesperson, Brigadier Javed Cheema, who publicly announced that a Taliban instructor from the NWFP, Baitullah Mehsud, was behind the assassination. Brigadier Cheema repeatedly changed his story, first attributing the death to multiple gunshot wounds, then to metallic pieces from a bomb, and later to a lever on the Bhutto campaign vehicle's sunroof. Amidst the confusion and ambiguity created by these multiple stances, and in the absence of reliable forensic evidence, it was natural that conspiracy theories would blossom. These theories are, in turn, irrevocably shaping the post-Benazir political scenario of Pakistan.