Murtaza Bhutto

was also sent to her brother to join her on her official visits to Syria and
Bahrain, but that, too, was ignored "on the insistence of his party people."
Describing the meeting between the two in Islamabad at the prime minister's
house in July last year, Ms Bhutto said: "There were tears in his eyes when we
met for the first time. We were delighted, we joked and we were happily
together for nearly two or three hours. He had a very good sense of humour.
"We had planned a second meeting in September and on his birthday, I had a
watch to present him, and that he died wearing the cufflinks given by me. We
valued each other's love and affection", she said. "I remember kissing him
goodbye. He turned around and looked at me. I had sent a gift for Ghinwa
Bhutto and after receiving she wrote a letter of thanks," she said. "This letter
explains there was no animosity," she maintained.
At the meeting, Asif Zardari was also present and there were no accusations
between the two (Zardari and Murtaza). Mir, she said, was innocent. He was
not in the habit of foul play or dirty tricks But his body guards kept them
(Mir Murtaza and Ms Bhutto) away. "I felt and hoped he would (some day)
understand that the bodyguards were abusing the sanctity of 70-Clifton. She
said the telephone talk between Fatima and Asif Zardari took place 15
minutes after she had talked to the doctors and Mir's love for Fatima was like
mine with my father.
When she (Ms Bhutto) arrived in Karachi on the night of Sept 20 at about
2:30am on Saturday, nobody told her at the airport that her brother had been
dead for two-and-a-half hours. She said she wanted to go to the hospital
straight from the airport. "I was in my shock, pain and grief and the news of
his death was given to me much later at Bilawal House." She said it was
wrong that Ms Ghinwa was denied the right to register an FIR. It was also
wrong that she ever told Ms Ghinwa that the arrest of policemen in the case
would create a law and order problem, she claimed.
There was a nexus between Ms Ghinwa and the president and if she believed
in truth, she could have written to Mr Leghari about her complaint, because
president had everything to gain and the chief executive (PM) had everything
to lose, she said. Referring to Ms Ghinwa's claim that there had been
emotional or financial pressure on her family, Ms Bhutto stated that there was
no such financial pressure on her and as far as the emotional pressure was
concerned, "I made an effort to bring her (Ms Ghinwa's) parents to Pakistan at
my cost, I also asked her to come and stay at the PM's house. I was also
willing to drop her in London on her visit abroad." Advocate Kazi, appearing
Murtaza Bhutto; Copyright © www.bhutto.org
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