Pakistan Views

Almost half of all Pakistanis believe that government-allied agencies or politicians were responsible for the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto, according to a survey released on Saturday.

Meanwhile, more than half backed martyred Benazir’s teenage son Bilawal as the right person to succeed the martyred opposition leader as the new chief of her party, the poll by Gallup Pakistan said.

The survey said 23 percent of people suspected government intelligence or security agencies of being responsible for Bhutto’s martyring, and a further 25 percent believed government-allied politicians were to blame.

Only 17 percent of Pakistanis believed the government’s official account that al Qaeda militants were to blame.

Martyred Benazir herself accused several senior government and intelligence officials of plotting to martyr her following a double suicide attack on a parade to welcome her home from exile in October.

Twelve percent suspected the United States, which counts President Pervez Musharraf as a key ally in the “war on terror”, and four percent blamed Pakistan’s regional rival India.

On martyred Benazir’s succession, 53 percent of those questioned said her Pakistan People’s Party had made the right decision to choose Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, her 19-year-old son, as its new co-chairman.

A further 28 percent said it was wrong and 19 percent said they did not know.

Gallup Pakistan said it interviewed 1,300 men and women in towns and cities across Pakistan and the poll carried a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.