Claiming responsibility through pamphlets

ISLAMABAD, March 2: The responsibility for the assassination of Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was immediately placed on the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) because of the pamphlets found at the place where he was killed. The pamphlets, purported to be from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab and written in Urdu, claimed that Bhatti had been killed because of his opposition to the blasphemy law. These pamphlets are said to have been left there by the gunmen before they escaped. However, this is the first incident in which TTP has claimed responsibility for an attack through these means, officials who are involved in investigation against TTP`s members told Dawn . "The minister has been killed as he is heading a committee, constituted to review the blasphemy law," they said. In the past, the TTP has always claimed responsibility through its spokesmen or other high profile members in a conversation with the media. `Tanzim Al-Qaida Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab` was the name mentioned on the pamphlets. Police officials also point out that this appears to be the first incident in which the TTP, known to be Deobandi, has revealed its involvement in the blasphemy law issue or made public its opposition to any change to the law. Since this controversy first reared its head in recent month, the Barelvi groups have been rallying support in favour of the law. In fact, even the killer of Governor Salman Taseer was a follower of a Barelvi group. Independent analysts have also noticed this change though they are not jumping to the same conclusion as the police officials. Analyst and author Zahid Hussain told Dawn that leaving pamphlets at the spot after having carried out an assassination is not the usual practice of the TTP. However, he cautioned against jumping to any conclusion; he pointed out that many splinter groups have emerged from within the TTP that are operating without the knowledge or under the command of the main leadership. Against this backdrop it is now difficult to make any assumptions about standard operating procedures of the Taliban.