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The Bodyguard

Tariq Ali · Who Killed Benazir Bhutto?

Following the Diary I wrote in the last issue of the LRB I received a number of angry emails. One reader was annoyed that I was sceptical regarding the rumours of Zardari’s involvement in his wife’s assassination. I was sent a link to a video showing one of Benazir's main bodyguards, Khalid Shahenshah, behaving most oddly in the minutes before her death.

Shahenshah, head of Zardari’s security detail, is clearly seen twice touching his neck, a signal that is used as an instruction to kill. At one point he pushes aside a party loyalist so that he, Shahenshah, can be seen.

As in the case of a policeman involved in the Murtaza Bhutto operation, Shahenshah was shot dead by ‘unknown assailants’, a year ago yesterday. Unsurprisingly, press speculation suggests that he was silenced lest he was tempted to reveal what really happened that day. I am now marginally less sceptical, but much more evidence is required before any judgment can be made.