Her assassination was a tragedy waiting to happen

She tragically underestimated the villainy of her adversaries

Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, however unfortunate it is, was only waiting to open. That certain elements in Pakistan and Afghanistan were bitterly opposed to her coming back was obvious from the violence that marked the day of her return. Bhutto seemed not to bother about the blatant message which the attack on her supporters transmitted all across Pakistan.

She just repeated, parrot-like, that some people were conspiring against her and that her life was in danger.

Instead of being more careful, she behaved as she would in normal times. She actually appeared to be making political capital out of the animosity displayed towards her. In the process she threw caution to the winds and paid with her life.

There are many parallels between Rajiv and Benazir. Both were young, dynamic, pleasant and not vengeful, despite occasional moments of petulance. They both had wonderful ideas what their countries should be and banked on the love of their followers. They tragically underestimated the villainy of their adversaries — the LTTE and the Taliban/Al Qaeda respectively.

They had a mistaken notion that a strong bond with the people would somehow take care of their physical security. This was a grievously wrong assessment. There is no place any longer for taking chances where inimical elements can triumph with minimum effort and technology, and so alter the course of a country’s history.
 
Both were killed during pre-election rallies where followers are often in an ecstasy that borders on frenzy. They do not bother whether their indiscipline endangers the safety of their beloved leaders. With impunity, they violate access control, which is fundamental to dignitary protection. Law enforcement is often intimidated into falling in line with the festivity of the occasion by ignoring such unruly behaviour. TV footage of the last moments of the Islamabad rally amply demonstrate this.

When policemen on duty try to bring order, they are ticked off by party organisers and sometimes by the VIP himself or herself. It is this ambience that facilitates evil designs against highly-threatened dignitaries.

The phenomenon of suicide terrorism is increasing alarmingly all over the world. Against a determined assassin, all VIP protection drills become worthless. That is why strict access control is important. If a potential trouble-monger is kept at a distance from the VIP, there is just a chance that the damage that he can cause is limited. In these days of terrorist insanity and a ruthless determination to kill, we can aim at only limiting the loss to lives and hardly anything more.

What about cutting down public rallies and limiting public appearances? This is possible in a world dominated by television. TV images are vivid and powerful with a wide reach. A virtual campaign is achievable, sensible and may become a necessity. Gone are the days when face-to-face rabble-rousing exercises alone impressed voters. Election tours attract unmanageably frenzied crowds and the danger to a VIP is at its maximum. If political parties do not evolve a consensus on virtual campaigns, we are going to be witness to many more assassinations.

VIP protection is a highly skilled task. Specialist organisations like our own Special Protection Group (SPG) that came in response to Mrs Indira Gandhi’s assassination, are vital and well worth the expense. In fact, the SPG has become a model for most of the world. The Congress Party’s charge therefore that the VP Singh government’s withdrawal of SPG cover to Rajiv cost him his life can hardly be ignored. It had a ring of truth.

Most of all, a crack outfit like the SPG instills discipline in the VIPs themselves. A VIP can ignore SPG entreaties to behave correctly at such times only at his or her peril. This is why keeping politics out of the SPG becomes crucial. Equally vital is the need to retain its elitism and not dilute its effectiveness by extending its cover to all and sundry. Fortunately, the SPG Act takes care of this.

(The writer is a former CBI director)