Prosecutor in Benazir Bhutto murder case shot dead

Chaudry Zulfiqar was killed this morning while driving to a hearing in the case against the country’s former ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is accused of failing to provide Benazir Bhutto with adequate security when she was murdered in a suicide attack in 2007.

The prosecutor was driving through a middle-class neighbourhood accompanied by his bodyguard when gunmen sprayed his car with bullets. They fired at him 13 times before fleeing the scene on motorbikes, according to local police. Zulfiqar later died in hospital.

He had been driving to a hearing related to the Musharraf and the Bhutto case at a court in Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad, when he was killed. The attack, which took place in broad daylight, occured in a neighbourhood that is home to numerous dignitaries and politicians.

A woman pedestrian was also killed after he lost control of the vehicle. Zulfiqar’s bodyguard believes he has wounded one of the gunmen when he returned fire.

Politically motivated?

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurs eight days before the country’s crucial general election.

There is, however, mounting speculation that it is politically motivated and designed to derail his enquiries. Zulfiqar was working on some most politically sensitive cases in the country, including that of the death of Benazir Bhutto and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Since Mr Musharraf’s return from self-imposed exile last month, investigators have questioned the former president about the security arrangements for Bhutto in 2007. Mr Musharraf, who denies the allegations, is being held under house arrest while the claims against him are investigated.

Chaudry Zulfiqar is working on some most politically-sensitive cases in the country, and recently scored a major breakthrough in the 2008 attacks in Mumbai.

Zulfiqar had told reporters he had “solid evidence” that connected Mr Musharraf with Bhutto’s death and was due to divulge it this week.

Setback for Mumbai

As well as working on the investigation into Bhutto’s murder, which has been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, Zulfiqar recently made a significant breakthrough in prosecuting those suspected of masterminding the Mumbai terror attack of November 2008, carried out by the Punjab-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Harnessing a crucial witness who identified one of the accused as the person who bought inflatable boats used by the terrorists, many in India believed he was making significant inroads into that investigation.

Nonetheless, this latest assassination comes at a sensitive time for Pakistan, which is preparing for nationwide elections on 11 May. The vote marks the first time that an elected civilian government has fulfilled its term and handed off power to another civilian government in the country.

This morning President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the prosecutor’s killing and has called for a thorough investigation.