ISLAMABAD: The year 2007 bade a bloody farewell for Pakistan as two-time former PM and popular chairperson of PPPP Benazir Bhutto was brutally assassinated closely followed by suicide bombing.
This stands to be one of the most historical moments in the National history, which shook the entire world with equal intensity, making it a tragic wound one would be hardly able to reconcile to.
Other very important and volatile occurrences and crisis include the 09 March crisis, when President Musharraf suspended the CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and filed a Supreme Judicial reference against him an imprudent move that forced all the lawyers' community, politicians, in tandem with masses on the roads, forcing the government to reinstate the CJ, and enabling the judiciary to make a strong imprint regarding its independent stance.
However it was difficult for the regime to accept this setback to its
"writ", and President general Pervez Musharraf imposed an emergency, suspended the constitution, and terminated all judges who refused to take their oaths according to PCO (provisional Constitutional Order).
Another important event of the year 2007 was that President Pervez Musharraf Finally relinquished his much vociferously resisted army post (doffing the uniform) and handed over the post of COAS to Gen. Ashfaq Kiani, while at the same time managed to have himself re-elected as President for the second Consecutive term; A move which was challenged in the Supreme Court, but Musharraf managed to win verdict in his favor through judges sworn in through PCO.
On 15th Dec, the emergency was lifted and constitution restored, but restrictions imposed over media and judiciary remained intact, and both were forced to adhere to "code of conduct" formulated by the establishment.
The year also saw a massive surge in acts of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in alarming numbers, but the worst happened quite historically unexpectedly, right in the middle of the Capitol City, when all sections of troops were forced to carry out a bloody operation against its own citizens entrapped in Lal Masjid. The actual details of this ghastly-perpetuated genocide of mostly children and women has so far never been deciphered, alongwith the exact number of casualties.
In the aftermath the entire Country came under a volley of suicide attacks, targeted mostly at army and security apparatus, while public and official assets, schools and even music shops were freely targeted. About 100 militant elements were killed in retaliatory attacks, while losses of security personnel and citizens amounted to a massive 913.
The President of Pakistan was subjected to seven attempts have never been made public.
Among other VIPs, former interior minister, Aftab Ahmad Sherpao was twice targeted right in his ancestral village while in office, almost wounding him critically and taking lives and injuring scores of other innocent citizens, and even the other federal minister Ameer Muqam was attacked, while Ejaz-ul-Haq was also targeted.
The worst came on 18th Oct 2007, when former PM, and chairperson of PPPP, Benazir Bhutto returned back to Pakistan after eight years of exile, and her cavalcade was attacked by a suicide bomber. She escaped unhurt, but a massive and horrific killing of more than 150 innocent citizens and bystanders occurred which also injured scores, with torn limbs and parts scattered in a sea of blood over a vast area of the highway being traversed by the procession. But she was not quite lucky on 27th Dec 2007, when she fell to easy prey of the murderous bullet of the assassin, who blew himself up killing another massive scores of innocent citizens and bystanders.
Politically, the equally volatile year saw the constitutional termination of the assembly and feverish electoral process, which saw the historical return of "exiled" leadership, and a shattering breakup of PML (Q), whose majority of members left for " greener pastures" of PML (N) and PPPP.
Numerous train incidents also occurred causing loss of lives.—Agencies