Benazir was killed by Sniper Teams (FSB)

By SORCHA FAAL (Courtesy Inform Press - www.informpress.com)

FSB [Russian Federal Security Service] reports presented to President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin on the assassination of Pakistan Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto today are detailing what Russian security analysts are stating was a 'sophisticated' sniper team attack which left the loved leader of her people dead.

These reports state Pakistan's elite commando division, called the Special Service Group (SSG), and which is the elite special operations arm of the Pakistani Army, were 'most likely' to blame as they are the only organization capable of mounting an operation such as this in Pakistan.

As to the actual assassination of Bhutto, these reports state that she was fired upon by 'no less' than 3 separate sniper teams firing in excess of 6 times and which was then followed by 2 'simultaneous' rocket propelled grenades designed to destroy the scene of the assassination, but whose explosions could then be 'blamed' on a'suicide bombing'.

Russian Military analysts are further reporting that the assassination of Bhutto, by Pakistan's Military Forces, was necessitated due to her imminent meeting with two top U.S. lawmakers, U.S. Congressman [D-RI] Patrick Kennedy and U.S. Senator Arlen Specter [R-PA], who she was scheduled to meet following her last rally [on Thursday, 27 December2007], and where she was prepared to give Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Specter 'evidence' that supported her claims that she was being targeted for death by Pakistan's US-backed dictator Pervez Musharraf.

It is important to note that Benazir Bhutto had previously stated to the U.S. that she would only turn her evidence over to Congressman Kennedy and Senator Specter due to their involvement with the assassination of the American President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as Patrick Kennedy is a surviving family member and Arlen Specter was the chief investigator of the [U.S.] President's murder for the Warren Commission, the tribunal set up to investigate President Kennedy's killing.

It was, state these reports, Bhutto's belief that only two such prominent lawmakers who knew the 'truth' behind the assassination of President Kennedy could properly handle the 'shocking' information she was prepared to present to them should she have lived but one more hour.
Also, it is important to note that occurring during the same time frame as the plot and killing of Bhutto in Pakistan, its U.S. ally began suffering a series of bizarre attacks against its war leaders,and which included the United States Army leader, Secretary Pete Geren, having his home in Texas targeted by a suicidal driver, and, also in Texas, the childhood home of [U.S.] President [George W.]Bush, and which is on the property of his father's Presidential Museum, being attacked by arsonists.

These current events, and when coupled with the White House attack that left [U.S.] Vice President [Dick] Cheney's offices in flames, and which we had previously reported on, point towards a growing destabilization of the current World Order due to the United States continued efforts to gain hegemony over the vital oil resources of the Middle East, but which these latest events may prove to be much harder now to accomplish.

This is so, and as these reports make clear, the United States complicity with Pakistan to 'create and control' the very terrorist organizations they have used to mislead their peoples into giving up their freedoms and support a World War that is bankrupting the United States due to the truth that the truest enemies of the West are their very own leaders.

Daughters of Asma Jehangir assaulted and threatened by gunmen of the ruling party

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

The two daughters of Ms. Asma Jehangir, a well known lawyer, human rights activist and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of religion or belief, were assaulted and illegally held for several hours along with their friends by armed persons of the Pakistan Muslim League Q (PML-Q); they were beaten severely and threatened to be killed. One of the girls was pushed into a room and this was only prevented due to the intervention of their mother. Ms. Asma. Ms. Asma herself was also threatened by the gunmen who used very filthy language against her. When police were called to the scene they took the side of the gunmen who claimed to be police officers. However, only two out of this group were policemen and the 20 other gunmen belonged to the PML-Q.

This incident happened at 1.30am when Ms. Muneeza Jehangir, Asma's eldest daughter along with her younger sister Ms. Sulema Jehangir and other friends, were making a video clip for her television channel, the Geo TV. She was filming the ripped posters and banners of the political parties in Lahore city, Punjab province, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former premier who was killed on December 27.

When they were filming the torn posters of the ruling party, which contained photographs of President Musharraf and other party leaders, some armed men arrived and held the two sisters and their companions at gun point. They were then ordered to follow the gunmen and when they resisted the gunmen beat them in public and dragged them to the PML-Q main election office of the province. At the office they were once again beaten and the men trained their guns on them. Someone then told the gunmen that the girls were the daughters of Asma Jehangir. The leader revealed that he was aware of their identities and then four of the gunmen started dragging the youngest one into a small room.

When she heard about this incident Ms. Asma Jehangir reached the party office but was refused entry as they physically restrained her and threatened her with their guns. Fortunately she managed to climb the iron gate of the party office and she saw that her eldest daughter and her friends were detained by more than ten armed persons and her youngest daughter was being carried by some other persons to a separate room. She immediately informed the Ghalib police station who reached the scene after some time. The police took the side of the armed men and pressurized the parents of the friends of her daughters to hand over the video tape which they did. The police then threatened the parents that they should not report this incident otherwise the girls would be kidnapped, raped and killed. The police also pressured the parents to stop Ms. Asma Jehangir from making this incident know and claimed that she would bear the responsibility for whatever might happen in the future.

The Asian Human Rights condemns this incident of kidnapping, the illegal holding and threats of violence against the daughters of Ms. Asma Jehangir by the armed elements of the PML-Q. This incident is an attempt to harass human rights activists and their family members for speaking out against the military regime.

The AHRC condemns this attack and calls upon the government of Pakistan to conduct an inquiry into this matter and to arrest the culprits. However, at the same time the AHRC is quite skeptical as to whether any inquiry will be made into this matter unless there is pressure from the civil rights movement in the country and the international community. In the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto it is quite likely that the military regime and the ruling party will attempt to silence the human rights and democratic activists.

As the judges who defied the imposition of the state of emergency have been virtually dismissed from their posts there is little to be expected from the present judiciary of Pakistan by way of protection to citizens against acts of the regime and the ruling party. The AHRC calls upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to cause an inquiry into this incident and to take other appropriate action.

# # # About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

An Open Letter to the Interim Interior Minister

HALAL-E-IMTIAZ (MILITARY),
Interior Minister,
Government of Pakistan

Herr General,

I write to congratulate you and the Interior Secretary, Brig (R) Iqbal Cheema, on your masterful press conferences following the tragic assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. First we had the privilege of hearing the secretary's expert assertions on behalf of the Ministry, conclusively blaming a terrorist sunroof lever as part of Al Qaeda's sinister plot to assassinate Mohtarma. What a masterstroke! I would never have been able to come up with something so Sherlock Holmesian! But when video 'evidence' unfortunately proved that brilliant theory to be incorrect, your "apology" yesterday in defence of your subordinate was even more impressive - "We are faujis, and not as articulate as you journalists."

Allow me to salute you, Sir! A cynical and less enlightened Pakistani would have dismissed this apology as ridiculous, and concluded that if Faujis are inarticulate or incapable of handling the truth, they should maybe restrict themselves to taking orders from those who possess these skills, and do something more mundane – like defending the country's borders. Some deceitful souls, not having the National Interest at heart, might even conclude that Pakistan would be best served if all military personnel, serving and retired, from General (R) Musharraf downwards, were to go home, and leave the administration of this country to elected representatives.

Thankfully, however, these cynics have not won yet – and as long as the silent majority of the country can be kept confused by your googlies, General Sahib, you and I are safe.

A Moderately Enlightened Pakistani

Concerned Citizens of Pakistan

The Benazir Bhutto dossier: 'secret service was diverting US aid for fighting militants to rig the elections'

Jeremy Page in Naudero On the day she was assassinated, Benazir Bhutto was due to meet two senior American politicians to show them a confidential report alleging that Pakistan's intelligence service was using US money to rig parliamentary elections, officials in her party said yesterday.

The report was compiled by the former Prime Minister's own contacts within the security services and alleged that the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was running the election operation from a safe house in the capital, Islamabad, they said.

The operation's aim was to undermine Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and to ensure victory for the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) party, which supports President Musharraf, in the elections scheduled for January 8. Patrick Kennedy, a Democratic congressman for Rhode Island, and Arlen Specter, a Republican member of the Senate sub-committe on foreign operations, have confirmed that they were planning to have dinner with Ms Bhutto on Thursday evening but were not available for comment yesterday.

Sarfraz Ali Lashari, a senior PPP official who works in its election monitoring cell, told The Times that he had helped to compile a 200-page report on the Government's efforts to rig the poll, which Ms Bhutto planned to give to the Americans and to the press the day she was killed. "But there is another report relating to the ISI and she was going to discuss it with them," said Mr Lashari, an envi-ronmental economist who taught at Cranfield University for several years.

The second report, which Ms Bhutto did not plan to release to the media, alleged that the ISI was using some of the $10 billion (£5 billion) in US military aid that Pakistan has received since 2001 to run a covert election operation from a safe house in G5, a central district of Islamabad, he said. "The report was done by some people who we've got in the services. They directly dealt with Benazir Bhutto," he continued, adding that Ms Bhutto was planning to share the contents of the report with the British Ambassador as well as the US lawmakers. Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto's widower and the new co-chairman of the PPP, confirmed the existence of the report, its basic contents and Ms Bhutto's plans to meet the US lawmakers last Thursday. Asked if such a report was in his possession, he said: "Something to that effect." Asked if Ms Bhutto was planning to share its contents with the American legislators, he said: "I am not in a position to make an answer to that." Asked if the report contained evidence that the ISI was using US funds to rig the elections, he said: "Possibly so."

He declined to give further details, but said the confidential report could have been one of several motives for killing Ms Bhutto, who died after a suicide-bomb and gun attack on an election rally near Islamabad. "It was a general combination of all of these things. The fact that she's on the ground exposing everybody, I guess, would have been one reason. There are many views and many reasons one can think of for her assassination."

The allegation is likely to fuel the already intense speculation surrounding the death, which triggered nationwide riots and raised fears that President Musharraf could reimpose emergency rule and postpone the elections.

Electoral fraud is nothing new in Pakistan, which has been led by military rulers for more than half of its 60-year history, and whose politics is dominated by feudal and tribal loyalties. In 1996 a former army chief called Mirza Aslam Baig alleged in court that he had been aware of a secret ISI political cell that distributed funds to antiPPP candidates in the run-up to the 1990-1991 elections. Ms Bhutto had often accused President Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, of rigging elections and there have been reports that foreign financial aid to Pakistan's Central Election Commission was being used to fix the result of next month's poll.

However, the report that Ms Bhutto allegedly planned to share with the US politicians made the more serious allegation that the ISI was directly involved in rigging the coming parliamentary elections – and was using American money to do it. The United States has given Pakistan at least $10 billion in military aid since President Musharraf agreed to back the War on Terror after the September 11 attacks. The money was supposed to be used to help Pakistan's armed forces to fight al-Qaeda and Taleban militants sheltering in northwestern tribal areas near the porous border with Afghan-istan. But there has been almost no accounting for the funds, most of which have been transferred in cash directly to the Defence Ministry, and critics of President Musharraf say that much has been diverted towards other aims, such as upgrading forces on the border with India, or into private pockets.

This month the US Congress ordered the Government to withhold a portion of military aid to Pakistan until President Musharraf demonstrated progress in the campaign against the militants and in a transition towards civilian, democratic rule. Mr Lashari, the PPP official, said that Ms Bhutto wanted to share the report with them because she did not entirely trust the US Government, which still regards President Musharraf as a key ally in the War on Terror. "The idea was to discuss it with all the international stakeholders, mainly including Britain and the United States, but we didn't want to share it with anyone who could use it against us," he said.

"It would be unwise to do anything that would annoy Musharraf. and the international stakeholders. Everything could collapse if the Army comes to know that there is something substantial against them. It's dangerous to name people in Pakistan." Pakistani media reports have alleged the existence of an ISI safe house used to rig the elections and identified Ijaz Hussain Shah, a retired general who heads the civilian Intelligence Bureau, as one of those involved. Mr Lashari also said that Ms Bhutto was planning to show the report with the British Ambassador, Robert Brin-kley. A spokesman for the British Embassy denied any knowledge of the report. The ISI does not have a spokes-person, but a government official dismissed the allegations as baseless.

Baitullah Mehsud Did NOT Kill Benazir Bhutto: PPP Spokesman Farhatullah Babar

Mehsud Had Told Benazir: 'I Am Not Your Enemy'

By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani

(Courtesy Inform Press)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 30 December 2007 (The News) - "Identify your enemy, I am not your enemy, I have nothing to do with you or against you or with the assassination attempt on you on October 19," Baitullah Mehsud, the local Waziristan tribal leader conveyed this message twice to Benazir Bhutto, the PPP [Pakistan Peoples Party] spokesman Farhatullah Babar claimed on Saturday.
"The top PPP leadership trusted the message," Babar disclosed, adding that it was conveyed by Mehsud through two different reliable emissaries after the October 19 [2007] assassination attempt on her life in Karsaz, Karachi.
Mehsud had conveyed to Benazir Bhutto that his activities were limited to Waziristan and were of a defensive nature. "I have neither the resources to fight outside Waziristan nor I have any plans to attack Benazir Bhutto in future," Mehsud had conveyed to the top PPP leadership.
Babar claimed that the voice recording of the alleged conversation between Baitullah Mehsud and another religious leader presented before the media on Friday by the [Pakistan] Interior Ministry was ridiculous and a deliberate attempt to divert the attention of the nation from the real culprits.
He added: "We have no doubt that Baitullah Mehsud is not involved in Thursday's [27 December 2007] tragic incident. Rather, we have serious doubts against those mentioned in the letter written by Benazir to Pervez Musharraf before and after the October 19 Karsaz tragedy."
"If the government had seriously gone through the contents of the letter and had fulfilled our demand to hire the services of some foreign investigative agencies to probe into the Karachi attack, Thursday's tragic incident might have been avoided," Babar added.
"Instead of diverting the attention of the people of Pakistan towards Baitullah Mehsud, should the government hire the services of an international professional investigative agency, matters can proceed in a better direction," Babar said.
"Now the people of Pakistan can understand when someone is trying to fool them," Babar said, adding: "If an inquiry in the murder case of Rafiq Hariri can be held by international experts, it can also be held in this case to expose the conspirators."