Post-assassination Pakistan

Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi

(Courtesy The Daily Times)

Opposition to Musharraf’s continued stay in office is increasing. In the event that the PPP and the PMLN take a significant portion of the vote in the election, an open confrontation between them and Musharraf cannot be ruled out

The postponement of general elections from January 8 to February 18 is no surprise. The Election Commission decided the issue with the consent of the presidency but it delayed the announcement to create the façade of consultations with the political parties. The Chief Election Commissioner did not name the parties approached for that purpose and refused to divulge their input.

The consultations, if any, with the political parties were irrelevant to the postponement decision that was taken partly on administrative considerations and partly to enable the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ) to revive its election machinery and campaign that faced the wrath of the Bhutto sympathisers. It is interesting to note that the destruction of Election Commission offices in 11 districts in Sindh was described as the main cause of postponement of the elections throughout the country. No Election Commission office was burnt down anywhere else. The NWFP government’s suggestion for postponement of elections in some constituencies in the tribal areas and Swat had nothing to do with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The Punjab government, fully conscious of the political predicament of the pro-Musharraf PMLQ, favoured the postponement, although no election office was attacked in the province. Similarly, the Balochistan government also favoured postponement to stay in line with the federal government.

The postponement decision is a typical example of bureaucratic and administrative approach to political problems. The long years of direct and indirect military rule and the expanded role of intelligence agencies have given salience to management and order in handling political affairs. The administration views political activities and elections as administrative burdens, if not nightmares. It tries to restrict political activities and avoid elections, if possible, or favour carefully regulated elections.

The administration was already perturbed by the positive popular response to the visits of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to different parts of the country. This threatened the capacity of the administration to manage the elections to their satisfaction. The post-assassination violence added to their problems. From a purely administrative perspective, the situation was not conducive for the bureaucratic and security machinery to manage the electoral exercise.This decision was also shaped by another consideration. The assassination created a strong sympathy wave for Benazir Bhutto and the PPP. Most banners of PMLQ were removed and its candidates avoided public appearances. There were noticeable shifts of public support from the PMLQ to the PPP and Nawaz Sharif’s PMLN. Though it is difficult to suggest the extent to which this sympathy wave would translate into votes for the PPP and the PMLN, it is clear that the political situation has turned hostile towards the established political order in Islamabad. Official circles expect that emotions will settle down in a couple of weeks and it will be possible for the PMLQ to pursue its election campaign and retrieve support.

The most unfortunate aspect of the current situation is the growing gulf of distrust between the PPP and the PMLN on the one hand and the government and the PMLQ on other. This drift is expected to increase as the elections approach. The PMLQ will have to campaign aggressively to effectively mobilise support. The former chief minister of Punjab and senior leader of the PMLQ, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is now targeting Asif Ali Zardari for sharp criticism so that his party’s candidates can regain the confidence to challenge PPP candidates. The Chaudhrys have also started playing up ethnic sentiments in the Punjab to neutralise pro-PPP sentiments in the province. This is likely to reinforce polarisation between Punjab and Sindh and adversely affect inter-provincial harmony.

There are three significant developments that are expected to defuse such polarisation and mitigate efforts to play the regional-ethnic card during and after the elections. First, Nawaz Sharif visited the hospital soon after Benazir Bhutto’s death and withdrew from the election to express solidarity with the PPP and its slain leader. Second, Nawaz Sharif led his party delegation to Bhutto’s hometown for condolence and visited the graves of the elder Bhutto and Benazir. He also announced that his party would accept the PPP’s decision on participation in the elections. Subsequently, Nawaz Sharif decided to take part when the PPP decided to contest elections on the scheduled date.

Third, the new co-chairman of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, made an equally positive gesture by reiterating the PPP’s commitment to the federation and he condemned those who raised separatist slogans in Sindh. He also acknowledged the services of PPP diehards from Punjab who were killed along with Benazir Bhutto. These moves show a deep understanding of the gravity of the situation on the part of the PPP and PMLN leaders and their desire to contain the negative fallout from the assassination.

On the other hand, the government mishandled the situation by making an ill-advised effort to change the explanation of the assassination. It blamed Islamic militants for the incident and mentioned Benazir Bhutto’s disregard of security imperatives.President Pervez Musharraf talked of reconciliation in his address to the nation on January 2. He wants opposition political parties to cooperate with him in coping with the current internal problems. However, major opposition parties and active societal groups are not prepared to talk to Musharraf, let alone work with him. They view him as part of the problem and want him to quit.There are no chances of national reconciliation under Musharraf. As a matter of fact, opposition to his continued stay in office is increasing. In the event that the PPP and the PMLN take a significant portion of the vote in the election, an open confrontation with Musharraf cannot be ruled out.

The chances of national reconciliation can improve if Musharraf addresses some of the opposition’s concerns about elections. The opposition wants the reconstitution of the Election Commission on the basis of consultation between the government and the opposition. The opposition also wants to suspend district and tehsil nazims that are openly exploiting their official positions to help the PMLQ. Similarly, there have complaints about the partisan role of the caretaker government in Punjab in favour of the PMLQ.Musharraf refuses to accommodate the opposition on these issues. Therefore, Musharraf’s appeal implies the acceptance of his commanding role in the political system and playing politics on the terms set out unilaterally by him. The PPP and the PMLN are not expected to do this.

In case the opposition concludes after elections that the polling process was manipulated to give an advantage to the PMLQ, the political situation can deteriorate in the post-election period. Already a number of political parties, lawyers and societal groups have boycotted the election. If the polls are manipulated, contesting parties will join these forces to challenge Musharraf.

As Pakistan’s political parties and societal groups grapple with the issues of stability and internal harmony in the post-assassination period, they will either endeavour to clip the role and powers of Musharraf or remove him from office altogether. The opposition has already rejected Musharraf’s re-election secured through political manipulation, suspension of the constitution and reconstitution of the superior judiciary. Musharraf faces a difficult and uncertain political future, which could have serious ramifications for political stability in Pakistan.

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a political and defence analyst

Cyber Crime Ordinance promulgated by Musharraf

Courtesy Teeth Meastro

Original story available on (http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/01/08/cyber-crime-bill-promulgated-by-the-president/)

Some helpful reporters of Dawn News are on the prowl to get full confirmation from the government about this story, the only news report that has appeared is in the Express newspaper today.

In a shocking and sudden development yesterday and caught our attention today when it appeared in the newspaper today that the The President of Pakistan has just promulgated the Cyber Crime Bill. I dare to say but this is just a method to crack down on the voice of free expression on the internet akin to the PEMRA ordinance that strangulated the electronic media after Nov 3rd.

I don’t have the exact document but our last understanding of the issue - which was the ‘final draft’ this bill can be considered very dangerous for regular citizens. The bill forms a Tribunal which is in effect judge jury and executioner all encompassing, it allows the FIA full authority to confiscate and arrest anyone who is deemed by the government to be in violation of the ‘integrity of Pakistan’ labeled as a person having terroristic intent - this is a new word created by the Govt of Pakistan for the English Language ;). There maybe some good aspects to the law but when an agency or tribunal supersedes the Justice system one would tend to worry of its widespread potential to misuse.

As per the final draft - an officer can walk into my house confiscate my computer and arrest me, he/she does not have to explain why and neither give reason for the arrest. I shall remain in custody as long as it takes for the tribunal to take collect evidence. And if found guilty by the Tribunal I am punishable from 3-10 years &/or Rs. 5,00,000.

A rough idea about the bill, as the one that was on FINAL DRAFT before all the emergency in Pakistan was, the FIA under orders from a Cyber Crime Tribunal court could accuse anyone of engaging in Terroristic activities and confiscate their computer without reason or explanation, and condemn the person to 3-10 years in prison, and the bill allowed the tribunal to keep the person under question without charge until it prepared the evidence. The onus of proof does not necessary have to come before the arrest. To understand the cyber Crime Bill one could follow the presentation by Zahid Jamil which he made a few months back.

DISCLAIMER: This is my own understanding as per the FINAL DRAFT that was up for approval - though our team of lawyers met the Ministry of IT and voiced their opinions, I am told that they were only heard and we don’t know if it was accepted into the bill. we await a copy and if someone has it please forward along.

Student Action Committee - Minar-e-Pakistan protest and other updates

The Students Action Committee (Lahore) held a rally today at 2 pm at Minar e Pakistan alongside CDRLP and other civil society groups. Asma Jahangir was amongst the various civil society members.

Over a 100 people turned up at the venue, fighting against the highly unfavorable weather conditions and made themselves heard loud and clear for over an hour.

The underlying purpose of the rally held, despite the heavy downpour, was to condemn the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto and to raise a voice for the restoration of the pre Nov. 3rd judiciary.

SAC (lahore) demanded an independent investigation into the assassination that is not conducted by partisan foreign allies and would include questioning of the people the late PPP leader had named as potential threats to her life after October 2007.

The protestors also demanded the release of Chief Justice Iftikhar, Justice Ramday and Aitzaz Ahsen.

Slogans like the heartfelt and popular 'Go Musharraf Go' and 'Jiye Bhutto Jiye Benazir' were raised and onlookers at the historic venue joined in despite the cold and the rain.

Also today, representatives from Students Action Committee Lahore and Islamabad met with Mian Nawaz Sharif and presented a memorandum of understanding which states that PML-N will work for the restoration of the pre Nov 3rd judiciary.

SAC is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse any single political party in Pakistan. It seeks collaboration on points of mutual agreement with all individuals and organizations, including political parties, which work towards the revival of the constitution and restoration of the judiciary to their Nov 2 nd form and for student rights in Pakistan.

SAC will present this memorandum to all political parties to obtain reassurances in writing of their commitment to the restoration of the judiciary. And will work side by side with all who strive for this aim.

With the aim of working across the country, the Students Action Committee (Lahore) will continue to stand for principles and will not get side tracked by transient or personal gains.

Student Action Committee USA launched

We have finally formally launched SAC-US chapter. There is a group of students from DC, Boston, Florida and New York, but hopefully we will get more support. Our blog is set up as follows: http://studentactioncommitteeusa.wordpress.com/

Our short term activities are as follows:

Members will organise awareness-raising events on campuses in her or his area. At least one event will be held by the second week of February.

Members will organise protests following the awareness-raising events. Protests in different areas will be staged simultaneously shortly before the elections in Pakistan.

SAC will collaborate with other organisations to promote advocacy on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. An event is being planned on the Hill, tentatively scheduled for 7 February.

SAC will begin cultivating a long-term relationship with the US media, starting by distributing a press release to media contacts in the second week of January.

SAC will communicate, and establish a working relationship, with SAC Lahore and SAC Islamabad.

The principles that SAC-US agreed on are as follows:

Establishment of an independent Election Commission and independent interim government before the upcoming Pakistani elections can take place.

Lifting of all restrictions (including restrictions on spot checks, random visits to the polling stations) on agencies that are monitoring elections in Pakistan before the elections. The government should also make sure that international monitors can reach Pakistan well in time before the elections to monitor the pre-poll process.

Restoration of the Pakistani judiciary to its status pre-November 3, 2007.

Release of all political prisoners in Pakistan, including lawyers, judges, students, civil rights activists, and political party workers.

Lifting of all restrictions on the media, including Code of Conduct for the Press and PEMRA ordinance, so that the media can broadcast live political events, rallies, and political debates.

Lifting of all restrictions on right to assembly, right to effectively campaign, and right to protest before the elections.

We will be issuing a press release in the second week of January InshAllah to the US media to whatever contacts we can gather till then. The press release will be aimed at introducing SAC and their stance/principles/demands to the US media.

Student Action Committee USA

So will our fist strike again!

By Umer Chaudhry

What horror the face of fascism creates!

They carry out their plans with knife-like precision.

Nothing matters to them.

To them, blood equals medals,

Slaughter is an act of heroism…

How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror.

Horror which I am living,

Horror which I am dying.

So wrote Victor Jara in his immortal poem Estadio Chile, moments before his death by the hands of one of the most brutal dictatorship that the world has ever seen - the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile; a tyranny sponsored, as ever, by the U.S.A. While repeating Jara's words again, I remain convinced that the social-realist literature makes immensely more sense to people who have gone through the experience that the particular literary piece is talking about. I have read the quoted verses of the Jara's last song countless times, but never before it generated so much strength and meaning for me as it does when I read it today.

The unforeseen and sudden death of Benazir Bhutto led to some of the most agonizing moments of my life. My first reaction when I heard the news of Bhutto's death over the phone from a friend was utter disbelief - it has to be a rumor. But the news was soon confirmed as I switched on my TV set and messages started pouring in on my cell phone. What happened was horrific. For the first time in my life, I felt shocked to the extent that I was wordless.

To my young mind concerned with the good of my people, the assassination of Bhutto brought immense confusion and horror. As I stayed glued to the TV screen, there were a number of questions that cropped up, but I could not find an answer to any of them. It was like my thinking half died with Benazir. What will happen next? How will the powers that rule Pakistan use this event to their favor? What will happen to our struggle for democracy and social justice? How will people respond to the sense of insecurity that the assassination of Benazir has created? How will this event contribute towards the prevailing threat of religious extremism? Somewhere between all these questions was also a deep sense of sympathy for all those who once witnessed and mourned the death of great leaders like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and President Salvador Allende. I was living through the ordeal that they once went through. I could comprehend what it is to deal with political uncertainty and insecurity and what it is to live under the shade of fascist terror.

Confusion, however, is temporary, particularly if your mind is equipped with the tools of Marxist theory and revolutionary practice defines the motto of your life. So, I started explaining to myself what might be there behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in order to reach a conclusion about what needs to be done.

In my view, as I have written elsewhere, the murder to Bhutto resulted in collusion between the Islamic Extremism and the pro-Taliban lobby in the ruling establishment of Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto was not as much a threat for the former for the lack of effective power as she was for the latter. The pro-Taliban lobby in the armed forces knew very well that their defacement would be construed as the disgrace of their institution internationally and, therefore, enjoyed a strong cover through this blackmail. They also knew well that Benazir Bhutto, with a history of opposing the military rule of General Zia-ul-Haq that killed her father and with the patronage of Washington, will not miss a chance to publicize the activities of the remnants of Zia era in the international arena. Had that happened, the armed forces would have lost the much needed international image with which they justified its continuous rule over the people and resources of Pakistan. Benazir became, as Aitzaz Ahsan correctly pointed out, a threat for the establishment of Pakistan.

The retributive struggle against the death of Benazir, therefore, has two main forces to blame: Islamic Extremism and Armed forces. Without ending the power of Army, the pro-Taliban elements within the Army responsible for the assassination of Bhutto can not be brought to justice. The struggle for democracy is now not just a struggle against Pervez Musharraf, but a struggle to bring the clandestine activities of intelligence wings of armed forces under public scrutiny. Army must no longer benefit from the privilege that it has been enjoying since the colonial era. People should not merely throw the Army out of power, but must conduct its post-mortem to see where the problem lies. Our struggle is no more about the separation between Army and politics, but about the subjugation of the former to the latter.

At this point in the history of my country, I humbly will call upon all my people to heighten their effort for democracy and resistance against military dictatorship and religious extremism. It's time to refurnish long lost popular unity built on the foundations of democracy and social justice. It's time to refresh our resolve for a better world. It's time to renew our commitment for people's rule. It's time to live, for slavery is no better than death.

The water is transparent

White between our fingers

it flows"El Fascismo-el Fascismo"-

Take your guitar

Chilean

and play play

until our arteries burst

let the dusts

wallow your brain

Strike!

the women

will give birth to grenades.

- Andrée Appercelle, To Chile, To Allende

The task that the history sets out for us is difficult but it's crucial. Without struggle and unity, we will perish, and history will never forgive us. Hope, we can not loose. Struggle, we can not put down. And when we move forward, let the verses of Victor Jara, ready to embrace death for his cause, give us strength and courage:

To see myself among so much

And so many moments of infinity

in which silence and screams

are the end of my song.

What I see, I have never seen

What I have felt and what I feel

Will give birth to the moment…

So will our fist strike again!

Student Action Committee gathering in Islamabad

On january 5th 2008 SAC(Student Action Committee) members gathered at Aabpara(Islamabad) 3pm to discuss with the people of Pakistan, the current political, economical and social situation of Pakistan, to get to know how the common man, the general public of Pakistan think in real, instead of the false claims made by the government and its puppetry policy makers.

We, the people of Pakistan are told by this dictator Musharraf and his people that economy is prospering and so the Pakistan. We daily hear the word that people of Pakistan are in favour of Mr. Musharraf and all those generals in power by the mouth of the dictator and his group. They think we are ignorant enough to believe all those white lies.

So SAC was there at Aabpara as it is a centre of Islamabad, to unveil all those false claims made by them, to tell the dictator, the generals , their civilian puppets that the people of Pakistan are not decieved by you and your false claims anymore.They do not believe your stories. What they believe actually is the fact that you all are alike, murderers and liers. So you better stop fooling yourselves. Your fallacy can only satisfy your own group of people. You might ask the question why the people do not voice out against your tyranny and you well know yourself why because of the system which is production of your military rule that has occupied the people with their financial issues much and they are forced to live hand-to-mouth however.

SAC questioned people who do you think is responsible for your sufferings, for our sufferings? Generals? The answer was yes. All the people around just raised their hands and when asked if Musharraf is responsible for the cold-blooded murder of Ms.Bhutto? Everybody there raised the hands.

This is real public opinion and not that made by the tyrant.

Later the members of SAC alongwith the people moved to shops, took rounds of the market to show solidarity with the people and everyone there was voicing out against this tyrant and his tyranny because everyone is victimzed now. We are living in a country where some generals alongwith some beaurocrats are ruling and ruining the country and the people. SAC wanted to message them and to the world that the people of Pakistan do not accept your policies and we will keep on fighting till the sun of tyranny sets.

God helps those who help themselves.

PPP now wants judiciary restoration

(Courtesy The News)

The jolted leadership of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is now talking of the restoration of pre-November 3 judiciary in accordance with the will and statement of its martyred leader Benazir Bhutto, which she made on the day of lifting of emergency, but in her own way.

The PPP will have no problem with the restoration of pre-November 3 judiciary which was sacked after the imposition of emergency by the then General Pervez Musharraf if it is done by the parliamentary committees comprising both government and opposition members in the new parliament.

A senior PPP leader when asked about the stance of her party said the party wants complete independence of the judiciary.This point has become the only issue on which the Charter of Demands between the PPP and the APDM was stuck and abandoned.

The text of the Charter, obtained by ‘The News’, shows the APDM wanted this language: “All Supreme Court and High Court judges who were removed on 3rd November 2007 should be restored.”

The ARD position was: “The courage and principled position taken by the judges of the superior judiciary who did not take oath under the PCO is recognised. The declaration of emergency dated 3rd November, 2007 issued by the chief of army staff be withdrawn. The Provisional Constitution Order be revoked and independence of the judiciary restored.”

When the PPP leader was asked about this and her party’s planning regarding this, she said that this issue might be discussed in today’s (Wednesday) Central Executive Committee meeting in Naudero. She, however, said that her party would need some time regarding this issue as still they are in mourning.

She disclosed that her party has decided in life time of Benazir Bhutto that even the new appointments in the superior judiciary would be made by the parliamentary committee comprising the parliamentarians from both the government and opposition and there should be no role of any dictator or any one man.

She said that her party wants that this parliamentary committee should even consider the restoration of judges sacked for not taking oath under the first PCO of the then General, Pervez Musharraf, in 2000.

On the other hand Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, vice-president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told The News Tuesday that restoration of deposed judges would be on top of his party’s campaign in the last six days of electioneering. He said that he hoped that once in the new parliament PPP would definitely support the restoration of sacked judges.

Manufacturing 'Truths'

By Hajrah Mumtaz

(Courtesy DAWN)

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." — Dr Paul Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda under Adolf Hitler's Nationalist Socialist regime.

The words hold relevance for Pakistan today. After a turbulent year that in itself augured ill for the country's future, came the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Just over a week later, the government is engaged in a bitter blame game in the attempt to deflect responsibility everywhere but upon its own minions and shadowy agencies. As the dust slowly settles, some civilian politicians have fallen towards the relative front and this has resulted in a citizenry divided: where some people are referring with disgust to the politicians' past reputations and practices, others are reacting sympathetically.

By way of background noise, references made by politicians both in the King's Party and out of it are gnawing away at the idea of the federation and are hardening provincial divides. At the same time, the citizenry is angrily debating whether democracy is at all relevant to Pakistan's needs since earlier democratic governments fell far short of standards.

In these bleak times, people are taking sides on the basis of what they know to be true. Depending on their sympathies, for example, some of us 'know' that X, Y or Z was corrupt or inefficient, while others 'know' that A, B and C acted out of the best intentions. We 'know' this because we read it in the newspapers, saw it on television, heard it from inside sources and wagged our heads in agreement during drawing room conversations.

Goebbels' words indicate that what we 'know' may not necessarily be the 'truth' — if, indeed, any such animal exists — and may in fact be the result of a vast flood of propaganda and lies that have been insisted upon for so long that they have become the truth.

As Herman and Chomsky pointed out in Manufacturing Consent, state authorities or governments employ indoctrination techniques and propaganda to bolster support for their policies. Significantly, the crux of the book is how the media, on purpose or unwittingly, become the tool through which the lies and half-truths are disseminated.

The military has been in power in Pakistan for most of the country's 60-year history and shows no indication of ever wanting to give it up. The assertions that certain extra-constitutional steps were "in the best interests of the country" must be viewed in this light. At the same time, the reputations of a number of politicians and parties must also be revisited with this knowledge.
Most of us 'know' that our democratic governments were tainted by institutionalised corruption on a massive scale, because this is what we have been repeatedly told for the past eight years in particular, and over decades in general. (By the same token, I wonder, do we 'know' that non-democratic governments were squeaky clean? Or is that just not talked about?)

It is worth examining who was doing the telling, and who was in power long enough to repeat the same shady 'truths' over and over again. Could this government be in the business of manufacturing such 'truths'? It is entirely possible that our 'knowledge' is the result of a massive propaganda machine that has consistently run defamation and character assassination campaigns against civilian political leaders. Over the years, little proof has been offered by way of explanation while damning such politicians.

True, ample evidence of maladministration and corruption has been presented by the press. Little of this evidence, however, has been the result of independent investigative journalism. Most of the news reports upon the actions or statements of others. For example, when the press reports the dismissal of a government under charges of corruption or maladministration, the allegation is being levelled by the individual or institution doing the dismissing, not the press itself. Furthermore, such allegations are never proved or disproved through a credible trial. And what's more, even if the press raised suspicions of misrule through solid investigative journalism, it would still be up to the courts to pronounce upon the veracity of the allegations.
Ironically, it was also Goebbels who wrote: "Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play."

The point is not whether our politicians are blameless, but whether we have been offered any credible proof that they are not. Sadly, the idea of being innocent until proved guilty is not in evidence in Pakistan and any hope for it was stamped out with the dismissal of independent-minded judges.

The Big Lie theory, as such methods of indoctrination have been referred to, is a propaganda technique first defined by Hitler in Mien Kampf as a lie so "colossal" that no one would be able to believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously." While Hitler used this theory with reference to his view of Judaism, it is amply in evidence in Pakistan today. We have, after all, a government audacious enough to first present a theory as ludicrous as a murderous sun-roof handle, and then admit that the statement was made without taking all evidence into account. Fortuitously, in this case there was hard evidence to disprove the government's claim otherwise it may easily have gone down in the annals of history.

Furthermore, it is worth pondering the etymology of the word 'media'. It is the plural for 'medium', which since the early 17th century has been used in the context of an 'intermediate agency' and carries the additional meaning of 'medium of communication.' In this broader sense, the media include not only the formal agencies that disseminate information and ideas — newspapers, television etc — but also the informal systems through which, generally speaking, each of us knows what he knows. These informal systems are the verbal avenues for the exchange of ideas, such as debate, discussion and even rumour or gossip, since these too are amongst the streams of information that together constitute the well of knowledge available to any individual.

Such informal streams of the media can be and are extensively used by Pakistan's well-connected, entrenched and institutionalised propaganda machine. The power of the media in terms of shaping the perspectives and perceptions of individuals is not only immense but in terms of the informal media, also truly frightening because of its nebulous nature.
The thinking person must ask himself, "How do I know what I know, and how do I know whether it is true?"

Post-script: "To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed . . ." — George Orwell, 1984.

A Shadowy Role

(Courtesy The News, Jan 5, 2008)

The role of Pakistan's extensive network of intelligence agencies has come under scrutiny once more in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Whereas President Pervez Musharraf has categorically denied any possibility of an agency hand in the killing, fingers continue to be pointed in their direction. One of the reasons for such suspicions, which have also been raised repeatedly in the past in relation to various events, is the fact that so little is known about these organizations and because they have often been used to manipulate election results and do successive governments' dirty work. Though they consume enormous budgets, paid for by taxpayers, the public knows next to nothing about how they operate or, indeed, what their assigned role is. This is all the more true since, over the decades since Pakistan was founded, the number of agencies operating in the country has grown. It is unclear who, if any authority, controls these organizations -- and in some cases they have been reported to be working at cross purposes, depending on the political interests with which they are affiliated. Reports of the existence of various factions within some of the larger agencies make the situation even murkier.

Events that have unfolded over the past few decades at various points in Pakistan's turbulent history indicate that in many cases the parliament or civilian government in place had little knowledge about the activities of agencies or even their broad ambit of responsibilities. While it is true that, particularly in a situation such as Pakistan's, where a network of terrorist outfits operates, an intelligence set-up is required, there can be no justification for the political role it is frequently alleged to be playing. The lack of information about this role adds to the apprehensions that intelligence agencies have come to comprise a kind of a state within a state, and operate as a power in themselves, with little control by government. That both the interior and defence ministries have in the past told courts that the intelligence agencies do not fall under them is a dangerous indication of the fact that these shadowy organizations function outside the organized structure of government.

This is an alarming situation. These organizations have been repeatedly accused of deliberately creating instability and disorder to meet set political purposes. This, it has been reported, has been achieved at times through the clever dissemination of the media, exploiting the fact that for reporters access to information remains limited, making them vulnerable to 'fed' items of news. Even today, there have been allegations that the agencies have been at work in creating confusion about the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Recently, it was in the case involving the 400 or so 'disappeared' people in the country that the intelligence agencies had gained most notoriety. The Supreme Court had in the recent past held the agencies responsible for whisking away hundreds of citizens and keeping them in secret jails. The controversy had continued through 2007, with the court threatening to order agency chiefs to appear before it. With the dissolution of the previous Supreme Court benches, the case today seems to have been shelved.

But given the controversy that exists over the country's secret agencies, there is a need to clarify their functions and explain who is accountable for their actions. The best and more transparent way would be to make them accountable and subservient to parliament, the norm in fully functional democracies the world over -- that is the only way to keep a proper check on them, just like in the case of any government department. Until this happens, these organizations will continue to generate controversy and fuel conspiracy theories, and this can in no way serve Pakistan's urgent need for greater accountability, greater transparency and greater credibility at all levels within the state.

Student Action Committee protest on Tuesday

The Student Action Committee (Lahore) has called for a protest on the 8th of January 2008 at 2 pm at Minar e Pakistan. In collaboration with civil society groups, lawyers and activists. This protest is to be registered against the removal of the pre Nov 3rd judiciary that stood for a just rule of law and against the inefficiency displayed by the establishment which has led to the assassination of thousands of citizens, including a powerful leader of opposition.
The students demand that the pre Nov 3rd judiciary be restored without which elections cannot be free and fair. However, we do acknowledge that there are compelling reasons for to participate in the upcoming elections for many, and do not hold it against them, so long as they are committed to the restoration of the only judiciary that has exercised independance to this degree.
Aitzaz Ahsen's baseless dentention keeps getting prolonged while the stringent treatment meted out to him suggests that our current regime shuns standing for principles and only favours partisan attitudes.
While Pakistan is on the brink of being considered a 'failed state', the SAC (lahore) urges the nation to join forces for the onlt path that can lead us out of this mess. So join us on the 8th and stand loud and strong at Minar e Pakistan at 2 pm.
While the country's being exploited by opportunistic leaders and political parties, the country has a chance to literally stand up and decide the future of Pakistan on the basis of right and wrong, on previous false promises, failed governments and demolished institutions. So please take time out for your country, stand united and show everyone that we care, that we will not rest until Pakistan steps on the only path that can ensure its survival.

In solidarity for principles,

Student Action Committee

CCP rally outside Aitzaz's house - eyewitness account

Xani Amin

The CCP (Concerned Citizens of Pakistan) members, lawyers and students gathered outside Atizaz Ahsan’s house at 3pm to register yet another protest against the present state of affairs in the country. There were about a hundred protesters holding play cards and stickers which demanded the restoration of Judiciary. Pamphlets containing the demands of CCP were distributed among the protesters. The flyer, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's lament was also distributed to large number of passing vehicles. The protesters began their march towards Mall Road chanting slogans in favour of judiciary and disposed judges. At this point the Police tried to stop the rally from going towards Mall Road, but the enthusiastic crowd made it clear that they would not be intimidated and will carried on their march. The protesters gathered at the Mall Road chowk, raised some more anti government slogans, sang the National Anthem and then made their way back to Atizaz Ahsan’s house. There it was decided that CCP will continue with its protests twice a week, one on Thursday (with the lawyers’ community) and another on Sunday. The rally ended with this resolution and crowd dispersed peacefully. The protest was also covered by media.

The Name and Shame campaign

In light of the upcoming elections, we are planning a Name and Shame campaign. As we are all aware, for any system to function, an efficient check and balance must be in place. In that light, for a governmental system to function, a similar check and balance must exist, which can only come from an Independant judiciary, a free media, and a watchdog civil society. We all are also aware that if this judiciary, which for the first time dared question the executive, is not restored, then no judge for the coming 60 yrs will dare do the same. Hence, our commitment is to the restoration of the judiciary as it was pre Nov 3rd.

For that end, and for becoming the effective watchdog that we aim to become, the first step begins with these elections. People must know who they are voting for, and what these people stand for. The government must know that we will not stand for any rigging in the elections and will do our utmost to prevent and expose any rigging. And most importantly, all the politicians must know that times have changed, and now they will be held accountable.

The Name and Shame Campaign

We research into the positives and negatives of major political figures in Pakistan's major political parties. This would include:
i. Their work in the halqa/constituency (goods and bads that happened during their last term in power)
ii. Their positions on various legislation in the National Assembly/Senate
iii. Allegations: Proven/Unproven against themAll of the above need to be referenced from credible sources.

Hence, the main players of all the political parties (PPP, PML-N, PML-Q, MQM, MMA) must be covered. So pick any of your choice and inform us on sac.lahore@gmail.com . The deadline for submission of the said information is Thursday Next week by midnight. The subsequent weekend will be employed to circulate the findings as widely as possible. Any suggestions for the furthering of our aims are welcome.

In solidarity,

Student Action Committee

No Evidence of Pakistani or U.S. SIGINT Intercepts of "Al-Qaeda" in Pakistan Tribal Regions

By Wayne Madsen

(Rense.com) - Intelligence sources are scoffing at the Pakistani Interior Ministry contention that it could prove that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on the orders of [tribal] chief in South Waziristan, Baitullah Mehsud. The Interior Ministry[Spokesman, Army Brigadier (R) Javed Iqbal Cheema, claims that it recorded an "intercept" of Mehsud's [undated telephone] communication in which Mehsud allegedly congratulated his [unknown, unidentified] follower for the attack on Bhutto in the heavily-garrisoned city of.

Bhutto's political party [Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)] and Mehsud both rejected the claims about the communication intercept of Mehsud.

U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) sources have told WMR [WayneMadsen Report] that Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) intercepts of "Al-Qaeda" and "Taliban" leaders are rare in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

Not only is cell phone coverage spotty to non-existent in remote areas like Waziristan, but ever since the 1996 [U.S.] NSA intercept of Chechen President Dzokhar Dudayev's satellite telephone call to Moscow, which was passed in to Russian security authorities who triangulated his position and killed him with an air-to-surface missile, "Al-Qaeda" and "Taliban" leaders, including Osama Bin Laden, have refrained from using electronic communications, mindful of U.S.intelligence's capability to lock in on the locations of cell phone and satellite phone signals.

The Chief Justice's Lament

Protest rally outside Aitzaz Ahsan's house on Sunday

Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP) are holding a protest rally outside Aitzaz Ahsan's house on Sunday, January 6, 2008, from 3 pm to 4.30 pm. With the election drawing nearer and especially after the tragic assassination of Benazir, there is every chance the government will engineer further chaos in the country in an attempt to keep us all dazed and confused. It is therefore more important than ever to keep our focus and remain united.

Join members of Civil Society, lawyers, doctors, other professionals and students at 5 Canal Bank, Zaman Park at 3 pm in the strongest show of solidarity possible .

Come in large numbers, Bring your friends, Pass this on to everyone you know!

In Unity, there is Strength. In Strength, Victory.

Bhutto Email Named Killers Weeks Before Assassination

By SIMON WALTERS

(Daily Mail) - Benazir Bhutto claimed three senior allies ofPakistan's [Tyrant] General [Pervez] Musharraf were out to kill her ina secret email to [UK] Foreign Secretary David Miliband written weeksbefore her death.

Astonishingly, one of them is a leading intelligence officer[Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director-General, Army Brigadier(R) Ejaz Shah] who was officially responsible for protecting MissBhutto from an assassination.

The second is a prominent Pakistani figure [Pakistan Muslim League(PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain], one of whose family members was allegedly murdered by a group [allegedly] run by MissBhutto's brother. The third is a well-known [former Punjab] Chief Minister [Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi] in Pakistan who is a long-standing opponent of Miss Bhutto.

Miss Bhutto told Mr. Miliband she was convinced that the three were determined to assassinate her on her return to the country and pleaded with him to put pressure on the Pakistan government to stop them. The disclosure is bound to lead to questions as to whether the [UK]Foreign Office did enough to safeguard Miss Bhutto.

Her return was organised in close co-ordination with the UK and U.S. governments, which saw her as the best hope of restoring democracy in Pakistan while preventing it from falling into the hands of extremists.

The email concerning the three alleged would-be killers identified by Miss Bhutto emerged as rival political factions in Pakistan continued to dispute the details surrounding her assassination.

The Pakistan government said she was killed by "Al-Qaeda", but her[Pakistan] People's Party [PPP] dismissed that as "a pack of lies" andinsisted Musharraf's regime was implicated. Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's former High Commissioner to the UK and a British-based adviser to Miss Bhutto, said: "She sent an email to the [British] Foreign Office before she returned to Pakistan naming certain people."

In the email, she said: 'The following persons are planning to murder me and if any harm comes to me they should be held responsible'." Miss Bhutto wrote her prophetic email to Mr. Miliband in September[2007], shortly after she met him to discuss her return to Pakistan. She named the same three individuals in a letter to General Musharraf in October [16 October 2007].

The Mail on Sunday has been informed of the names. One is a senior intelligence officer and retired Army officer[Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Ejaz Shah] who worked for Pakistan's sinister Inter Services Intelligence [ISI] spy agency, which has close links to the "Taliban" and has been involved in drug smuggling and political assassinations. He allegedly directed two terrorist groups and reportedly once boasted that he could pay money to hired killers to assassinate anyone who posed a threat toMusharraf's regime.

He was given another senior intelligence post by Musharraf after his bid to become a senior overseas diplomat for Pakistan failed when thehost country refused to let him in because of his past [illegal,criminal and terrorist] activities. He was also linked to [Ahmed] Omar [Saeed] Sheikh, the former Britishpublic schoolboy convicted of kidnapping U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl,who was murdered in 2002 by having his throat cut and being decapitated by terrorists.

The second individual [PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain] named byMiss Bhutto is well known in Pakistani political circles and has been involved in a vicious family feud with her for decades. One of his relatives was said to have been [allegedly] murdered by the"Al-Zulfiqar" group [allegedly] run by Miss Bhutto's brother, Murtaza[Bhutto]. The organisation was [allegedly] set up to avenge the execution of Miss Bhutto's father [Pakistan's ex-President and former Prime Minister] Zulfiqar [Ali] Bhutto by ex-Pakistan [Army] dictator[General Muhammad] Zia ul Haq.

The third individual is a [former Punjab] Chief Minister [Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi] who has repeatedly denounced Miss Bhutto - and faced political annihilation if she won the elections scheduled for nextweek. He made an outspoken attack on her only hours before her death.

A senior source said: "She knew the risk she was taking when she decided to go back but also took the precaution of informing theBritish Government of the names of those she thought presented the biggest danger to her." She hoped Mr. Miliband would use his influence with General Musharraf to remove certain people from positions where they were able to plot against her. She gave the same names to General Musharraf but she knew there was only a limited possibility of any action being taken. "She had to rely on Mr. Musharraf and countries such as Britain and America, who supported her return and have close connections with Mr.Musharraf's government, to take her concerns seriously."

Events have shown she was right to be worried. If any of the three people she named turn out to have been involved in this assassination, there will be serious repercussions."The Mail on Sunday has also learned that after an earlier attempt to assassinate her in October [2007], the [UK] Foreign Office told Miss Bhutto to stop making wild allegations against Musharraf - or face greater danger.

A [British] Foreign Office spokesman said: "Miss Bhutto had a series of meetings with the [UK] Foreign Secretary [David Miliband] and other[UK] officials. She raised her concerns about particular people and we raised them in turn with the authorities in Pakistan and asked them to put in place more strict security measures to protect her."

Source: Daily Mail newspaper - 29 December 2007 - London, UK.

Pakistan: Restore Democracy

The International Crisis Group Crisis Group Press Briefing http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=5246&m=1

After Bhutto's Murder: A Way Forward for Pakistan

Islamabad/Brussels, 2 January 2008: If Pakistan is to be stable in the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s murder, President Pervez Musharraf must resign and a quick transition follow to a democratically elected civilian government.

After Bhutto’s Murder: A Way Forward for Pakistan*, the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, concludes that Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, is no longer, if he ever was, a factor for stability. Particularly the U.S. must recognise he is a serious liability, seen as complicit in the death of the popular politician. Unless he steps down, tensions will worsen and the international community could face the nightmare of a nuclear-armed, Muslim country descending into civil war from which extremists would stand to gain.

“Bhutto’s death has drawn the battle lines even more clearly between Musharraf’s military-backed regime and Pakistan’s moderate majority, which will settle for nothing less than genuine parliamentary democracy”, saysMark Schneider, Crisis Group's Senior Vice-President.

Crisis Group agrees with the Election Commission decision to postpone the parliamentary election scheduled for 8 January to 18 February – but only if additional steps are taken so that the delay contributes to the creation of conditions for free and fair elections and the restoration of democracy.These include, in addition to Musharraf’s resignation: appointment, in consultation with the political parties, of caretaker governments at federal and provincial levels; full restoration of the constitution; and restoration of judicial independence, including reappointment of the judges Musharraf dismissed because they would not do his bidding in November when he declared martial law.

The international community should also support an independent, fixed-deadline investigation into Bhutto’s murder.“It is time to recognise that democracy, not an artificially propped-up, defrocked, widely despised general – has the best chance to provide stability and turn back extremists’ gains”, says Robert Templer, Crisis Group’s Asia Program Director.

Student Action Committee issues call for the 8th

The Student Action Committee (lahore) has called for a protest on the 8th of January 2008 at 2 pm at Minar e Pakistan. In collaboration with civil society groups, lawyers and activists; this protest is to be registered against the removal of the pre Nov 3rd judiciary that stood for a just rule of law and against the inefficiency displayed by the establishment which lead to the assassination of a pwerful leader of opposition and in the year 2007 thousands of others.

The students demand that the pre Nov 3rd judiciary be restored without which elections cannot be accepted.

Aitzaz Ahsen's baseless dentention keeps getting prolonged while the stringent treatment meted out to him suggests that our current regime shuns standing for principles and only favours partisan attitudes.

While Pakistan is on the bring of being considered a 'failed state', the SAC (lahore) urges the nation to join forces on the 8 th and stand loud and strong at Minar e Pakistan at 2 pm.

While the country's being exploited by opportunistic leaders and political parties, the country has a chance to literally stand up and on the basis of right and wrong, on previous false promises, failed governments decide the future.

Statement from Mrs Bushra Aitzaz Ahsan

At this moment there is a Quran Khawani for Mohtarma Benazir BhuttoShaheed outside our house in Zaman Park in Lahore. The Quran Khawani has been arranged by me but my husband, Aitzaz Ahsan, has not beenallowed even to step out of the house and participate in the QuranKhawani. He is detained in our house at No. 5, Zaman Park which hasbeen declared a sub-jail and as of today his detention has been further extended for a period of 30 days. In fact the security andpolice presence outside our house has been greatly increased and abattalion of policemen guard it now in fear that he may come out andjoin in the prayer meeting.

My husband was also disallowed from participating first in the funeraland then in the soyem at Naudero. He had formally applied to theFederal Government through the Punjab Government and the jailauthorities to go to Naudero but the application was denied.

Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan again applied on the 30th December for a reprieve fora mere two hours to join the Quran Khawani outside his house. Thisrequest has also been refused.

Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan was arrested on November 03, the day General Musharraf imposed the Emergency. He was initially detained in solitaryconfinement in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and then to house arrest inLahore.

One day before Eid he was released for three days to enable him to celebrate Eid but was re-arrested on the same day at Chakriinterchange on the motorway and was manhandled by plainclothespolicemen. He was then driven around and about Chakri and Chakwal inthe middle of the night in an open police van and brought to Lahore in the morning. The reprieve granted to him was also cancelled.

Due to exposure to extreme cold and sub-zero wind-chill Mr. AitzazAhsan ran high fever with aches and pains for several days but has nowrecovered.

Ever since he applied to go to Naudero the security around his househas been beefed up. All phone lines were cut and the cell phones ofthose who reside therein have blocked and jammed after Mr. AitzazAhsan made a condolence call to Mr. Asif Ali Zardari on the day of the funeral.
Meantime, the Federal Government has further extended the detention ofMr. Aitzaz Ahsan for a period of 30 days with effect from 01.01.2008.

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."

Medical personnel pressured into silence

Islamabad (The Washington Post): The authorities pressured the medical personnel who tried to save Benazir Bhutto's life to remain silent about what happened in her final hour and removed records of her treatment from the facility, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The report said doctors who were at Bhutto's side at Rawalpindi General Hospital said they were under extreme pressure not to share details about the nature of the injuries she suffered.

“The government took all medical records right after Ms. Bhutto's time of death was read out,” said a visibly shaken doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sweating and putting his head in his hands, he said: “look, we have been told by the government to stop talking.” Babar Awan, a top PPP official who said he saw Bhutto's body after the attack and identified two clearly defined bullet wounds -- entry and exit points. He said the principal professor of surgery at the hospital, Mussadiq Khan, was “extremely nervous, but eventually told me that Benazir had died of a bullet wound. Why was this man so nervous?” Awan said. “He told me firsthand he was under pressure not to talk about how she died.”

Reached at his home in Islamabad, Dr Khan declined to comment.

Benazir had 'proof' of state and agencies rigging polls

KARACHI, Jan 1 (Reuters): Benazir Bhutto was poised to reveal proof that Pakistan's election commission and shadowy spy agency were seeking to rig an upcoming general election the night she was assassinated, a top aide said Tuesday. Senator Latif Khosa, who authored a 160-page dossier with Bhutto documenting rigging tactics, said they ranged from intimidation to fake ballots, and were in some cases unwittingly funded by U.S. aid. Bhutto had been due to give the report to two visiting U.S. lawmakers over dinner on Dec. 27, the day she was killed in a suicide bombing.

“The state agencies are manipulating the whole process There is rigging by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), the election commission and the previous government, which is still continuing to hold influence. They were on the rampage” Khosa, a top Bhutto aide and head of her Pakistan People's Party election monitoring unit, told Reuters.

Autumn Today, Spring Tomorrow

Omer. G

A great poet manages always to stay true. Who knows what Ghalib had on his mind when he wrote immortal lines. But, for many days, as my pen reclines achingly in its resting place, as if stiff from bleeding, and my fingers refuse to move, as if hurt, nothing describes my situation better than this line from Ghalib

Ungliyan figaar apni khama khun-chukan apna - Ghalib
(My fingers are broken, my pen bloodied!)

Up in the sky, I see a silver lining flicker. Somewhere in the dark thickness of the clouds, there is a fleeting glimmer, not much but quite enough to spark hope. Hope is perhaps easier to spark among those of us raised in the faith that destiny is divinely decreed and embodies His transcendent wisdom. May be, it is only that we have been trained to see good emerging out of every incident, no matter how appalling and shocking that incident itself is.
One way or the other, I see hope gushing out after a period of dryness. My pen is healing now and my fingers are flowing. May be, you didn’t notice it but the truth is that the days are now growing longer and brighter, nights are on a retreat and it is not getting colder any more. True, the trees have bare branches and roses have all but withered, but then what is autumn but the harbinger of another spring. With the falling of every leaf, and the withering of every petal, another spring draws nigh. In my mind’s eye, I can already see the day when, at the onset of early spring, glacial streams will gush through their narrow courses and roll down to swell the mighty Indus. Very soon, the face of the earth will be green again.

They are wrong when they say that the passing away of a great national leader means the 'death of democracy' in this country. They are wrong when they say that there is no hope now. This last year, the year two-thousand-and-seven, has proven them wrong. The suffering of countless souls who braved everything from torture, beating, imprisonment and betrayal, has done a service which no one else did to this country: they won the hearts and minds of the masses for this cause, even if they couldn’t get them to participate in this movement. If the opinion polls are anything to go by, more than 80% of the country has shown its commitment to the rule of law and democracy – an unprecedented level of support, even when compared with democratic times. Perhaps a martyr's blood will tip the scales even further.

A year ago, the prospect of toppling the dictator seemed half as real and imminent as it does today. Back then, continuing with the status quo seemed quite possible. Today, however, in the wake of Benazir's sad demise, its violent aftermath, and the PPP’s reaffirmation of its commitment to Pakistan's solidarity - the army and the US are left with little choice but to dispense with the dictator. With the grim images of riotous street agitation still vivid in memories, it seems unlikely if anyone will risk subverting the elections by massive rigging. The message is clear: People’s will cannot be subverted anymore, if the country is to survive. If free and fair elections happen, the King's party is on the way out and the PPP will soon be in government. The PPP's share is likely to be bolstered by the sacrifice of its leader and King's party is likely to slip further. Therefore, the specter of a hung parliament seems less real.


The failure of the electoral process in the nineties was due, among other factors, to the immense polarization between major political parties. The fairly convivial electioneering and Nawaz Sharif’s grand gestures of solidarity at Benazir's death show that the country's biggest political parties have finally realized their true competition is not with each other but with the army and the establishment who will always try to scuttle democracy by discrediting politicians. How can one not be heartened at the sight of Mr. Sharif - not long ago quite unsupportive of the rule of law and media freedom - going now from one corner of the country to the other, campaigning for these very slogans? The politicians, for all their weaknesses, have proven themselves dynamic, quick learners.

One can also hope that, with the passing of a major figure who epitomized the politics of deal-making and compromise, more principled and idealistic politics will come to prevail in Pakistan's political arena. In the absence of towering sagacious figures, resort will have to be made to the counsel of the collectivity. The charisma of the Bhuttos would be an asset for any political party, but democracy cannot be about perpetuating dynasties. No matter how much you love someone, you just can’t play with the most fundamental distinction between democracy and monarchy. Without intending it, top leadership of the PPP has now gotten a chance to break the stranglehold of one family over their party – to show to the people that their party is not all about one family; rather, it is about the principles stated in their manifesto. For party stalwarts like Aitzaz Ahsan, who stood for principles but couldn't steer their parties away from sheer opportunism, now is the time to act; and act they will.
One cannot talk about the year two-thousand-and-seven without mentioning the countless heroes it has produced from amongst the ranks of the judiciary. Not long ago, the bench was a stronghold of the cowardly and the compromised. Never before did the judges rise up in large numbers and if ever any did, no one came to rally behind them. This year, when the call came, dozens upon dozens stood up to defy oppression and, two months down the lane, they are still standing. Not for one moment did they stand alone: they stand on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands of lawyers, political activists, students and other members of the civil society. The elections and their tragic prelude do nothing to dampen this cause. When a popular government is there in the halls of power – a prospect that now seems imminent – the cry for rule of law and freedom will again be raised, with at least as much support, if not more. This time round, it will have to be heard.

In its last hour, as I think about the happenings of this year and all the tragedies that have recently befallen us, I still cannot deny myself this feeling of hope. May be it is the stars inspiring me or the elation of having written so many words, after so long. May be, it is simply the hope that a man of faith must always have. I share this hope in the honest belief that it will avail others who may need it in these testing times.

Video of Benazir's last few seconds

Video clearly showing Benazir getting shot by assassin before the bomb. Lays waste to government claims that she did not die of bullet wounds.


Channel 4 also has exclusive footage showing the point at which the shots were fired at the former premier. It can be seen here: http://www.channel4.com/player/v2/player.jsp?showId=10619#

Benazir takes four names in letter

It is being revealed that Benazir Bhutto has named former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Intelligence Bureau chief Ijaz Shah and ex-ISI chief Hameed Gul as possible suspects in her assassination in a letter written before her death. This letter was written before her arrival in Karachi on October 18th and after the bomb blast, she told the media that she had told President General Retired Musharraf about a few names but did not disclose them.

The general assumptions amongst the intelligentsia of Pakistan stand to be spot on. Not a name more and not a name less. Did they have a hand in December 27th assassinations?

Our Darkest Hour

This is perhaps the darkest hour in our nation's sad history. The Concerned Citizens of Pakistan, mourn the loss of Benazir Bhutto - as we all do, regardless of agreement or disagreement with her politics - and send our deepest condolences to her family. At this time, we would do well to remember the words of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his letter to Benazir from his death cell:

"Tin-pot dictators have ravaged Asia, Latin America and Africa... They are the worst tyrants of the post-colonial period. They have destroyed time-honoured institutions and treated their people like animals. They have caused internal divisions and external confusion. The dictator is the one animal who needs to be caged. He betrays his profession and his constitution. He betrays the people and destroys human values. He destroys culture. He binds the youth. He makes the structure collapse. He rules by fluke and freak. He is the scourge and the ogre. He is a leper. Anyone who touches him also becomes a leper. He is the upstart who is devoid of ideals and ideology. Not a single one of them has made a moment's contribution to history."

Following the tragic assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, we have been plunged into a crisis whose proportions are difficult to exaggerate. Because of the divisive policies of one dictator and his refusal to back down, the country is on the verge of descending into complete chaos. To resolve the crisis and pull the country back from the brink of disaster, the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan demand the following:

1. Musharraf should step down immediately, and hand over power to a National Government, formed by the consensus of all major political parties and drawn from all Provinces of the country. The National Government should be headed by a neutral icon such as Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed or Rana Bhagwandas.

2. The Judiciary be immediately reinstated as it stood on November 2, 2007.

3. Curbs imposed on the media be immediately removed.

4. A new and truly independent Election Commission be constituted.

5. Free and Fair Elections be conducted within 90 days, with complete freedom for international observers and independent exit polls.

In Mourning and Complete Solidarity,

Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP)

The Flag's Complaint

Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi

In this poem, the flag of pakistan summons the common pakistani citizen and expresses its grief on the countrywide mourning of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, moreover it levels some complaints and reminiscises old times!

17 crore people asleep and someone cried

wake up from apathy, Bhutto died!

Sea of tears, a nation mourns

drenched in grief, the flag adjourns!

' Thee cried with me, Thee felt my bliss

Thee shed thy blood, So that I exist!

From the chains of slavery, rose the man

the grace, the karma and the movement began!

with wisdom, faith and passion, beside my pole

with love so pure, the consummated goal!

The moment to thou, I was handed

My colors faded, My fate stranded;

between the people and the mighty tyrannts

but thee my beloved, remained silent!

My memory, though vague, still retains

the cries of those bloody stains!

and again, my heart is vexed with woe

burnt down streets, that gloomy show!

Now I am torn, My pole has rusted

But dont let me down, faith entrusted!

far from this dark, the fountains ply

fountains of hope, that never die!

brook of thy tears, go to the fountain

thy fears how foolish, thy lament vain!

What is this hope? wouldst thou rightly know?

Be aware, wake up and it will never cease to flow!

'In the best interest of nation' or personal lust of power

Rains of patriotism, or alcoholic showers ?

My countrymem, My sisters, My elderly peers

this is the time, to shatter all fears!

He calls it right, and right you deem?

what about Quaids vision, my Iqbal's dream!

for this is the moment, the time is high

stand up for the right, or i will die!

No man with stick , or khaki hide

Is above my land or its pride! '

Mobile phone pictures reveal Benazir was shot before the blast

(Courtesy Teeth Maestro - http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2007/12/29/mobile-pictures-benazir-was-defintely-shot-dead-before-the-blast/)

Considering all the commotion and fuss created by the government of Pakistan saying the called that Benazir Bhutto was not hit by the three bullets but instead she hit her head on some ‘lever’ of the sunroof. Last night I was contacted by a person via Orkut who had uploaded these images on his profile (now he has taken them off) he was offering to share his video to the extent that he gave his cell number in Islamabad, since his dial up did not permit transferring this heavy file.
On contacting him today he claimed that he was a PPP supporter and his party had instructed him not to share this with anyone. Later when a news reporter tried contacting him, his cell phone was switched off. I have two images to share with you which were initially taken off his Orkut Profile.

The first image clearly shows Benazir Bhutto standing upright in the car through the sunroof waving to the crowd.

The next image is just after the gun shots which were fired from the left but moments before the bomb blast. Here we see Benazir Bhutto not on the sunroof of the car most likely already shot and injured slumped inside

I sadly do not have the original video, though I tried very hard to get it. A source was in direct contact with the cameraman who actually shot the video and later uploaded the screen captures to show that he means serious business. He claimed to be in the security detail with Benazir Bhutto was riding on her car barely five minutes earlier but had to jump off as she exited the Liaquat Bagh venue. He was finding it difficult to upload the 56MB video file online so was ready to allow someone to help him get it readily available. Today morning he said that his cell phone was ringing off the hook with people clambering in the hunt for the video, hence forth he turned his cell phone off and had even removed the images from his Orkut profile.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to head PPP

(Courtesy Geo News)
NAUDERO: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the party of Pakistan's murdered opposition leader Benazir Bhutto named her 19-year-old son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as its new leader Sunday and announced it would contest upcoming general elections.

Bilawal Bhutto, a student at Britain's Oxford University, was named party chairman at an emergency meeting, taking the reins of the party formerly led by his mother and grandfather, both of whom met violent deaths.

The party also appointed Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari as co-chairman, and called for a United Nations probe into the circumstances of her slaying in a gun and suicide bomb attack Thursday. "Democracy is the best revenge," Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told a chaotic news conference in the Bhutto family's ancestral home here, vowing the party's "long and historic struggle for democracy will continue with a new vigour."

Asif Zardari said the Pakistan People's Party would take part in the scheduled January 8 parliamentary elections, seen as a key step in Pakistan's transition to civilian democracy. "We will go to elections," he told reporters. The decisions came just three days after Bhutto's assassination at a rally stunned the nuclear-armed nation and left a void at the head of the PPP, the country's largest political party.

Taking part in the election has the potential to restore some much-needed stability after the street violence triggered by her slaying that has left at least 38 people dead. The PPP meeting in the Bhutto family's ancestral home in Naudero, deep in southern Pakistan, began amid emotional scenes as thousands of mourners beat their chests in grief and denounced President Pervez Musharraf. "

Bilawal is the new chairman of the party and Asif Ali Zardari will assist him as co-chairman," a party official said. It means the party leadership follows the bloodline for a third generation, some four decades after it was founded by Bilawal's grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a prime minister who was ousted and later hanged by the military.

Political commentator Najam Sethi said Zardari would "run the show to keep the place warm" for Bilawal, much like India's Sonia Gandhi for her son Rahul. PPP vice president Makhdoom Amin Fahim and its Punjab provincial president Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will sit on a "advisory council" for their young leader, party officials said.

State's claims regarding assassination denied

Pakistan 's interior ministry said intelligence intercepts showed that al-Qaeda were behind the killing [AFP]

The commander of a pro-Taliban group in Pakistan has told news agencies by phone that Baitullah Mehsud, another pro-Taliban figure, denies any involvement in Benazir Bhutto's death.

Maulana Omar said on Saturday: "He [Mehsud] had no involvement in this attack. This is a conspiracy of the government, army and intelligence agencies."

A Pakistani official had said on Friday it had evidence that Mehsud was responsible for the death of Bhutto, a former prime minister. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, said: "We have intelligence intercepts indicating that al-Qaeda leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination."

The claim was made as Bhutto was buried in her ancestral village in the province of Sindh against a backdrop of continued violence, with the death toll from disturbances rising to 31.

Cheema also said Bhutto died from injuries caused by hitting her head on her car's sunroof as she came under fire, rather than from bullet wounds or shrapnel.

Contradicting the official account, a close Bhutto aide told the media on Saturday that she saw a bullet wound in the head when she bathed Bhutto's body after her assassination. "I was actually part of the party which bathed her body before the funeral," said Sherry Rehman, who served as Bhutto's spokeswoman and who was in the motorcade at the time of the attack. "There was a bullet wound I saw that went in from the back of her head and came out the other side. "We could not even wash her properly because the wound was still seeping. She lost a huge amount of blood."

Rehman said: "The hospital was made to change its statement. They never gave a proper report. ... "This is ridiculous, dangerous nonsense because it is a cover-up of what actually happened." Earlier reports said Bhutto was gunned down by an assassin. The assassin then blew himself up in an attack that killed a total of 16 people at the end of an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday. While pointing the finger at al-Qaeda, Cheema said Mehsud was also behind a suicide attack on a Bhutto rally in October that left 140 dead.

Pakistani authorities say Mehsud is based in the tribal region of South Waziristan.

Cheema's claim that Bhutto's death was not caused by bullet wounds but by head injuries was described as "a pack of lies" by an aide of the slain politician. Farooq Naik, a senior official in Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), said: "Two bullets hit her, one in the abdomen and one in the head. "It is an irreparable loss and they are turning it into a joke with such claims. The country is heading towards civil war."

Farhatullah Babar, a another PPP spokesman, said on Saturday: "The story that al-Qaeda or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention." He said Bhutto had earlier told the government of "elements" other than al-Qaeda that she thought could be a threat to her, but officials never investigated. Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera's Pakistan correspondent, said people were asking why the car in which Bhutto was travelling was not damaged by the fatal attack. "A lot of people in Pakistan believe there may be some kind of conspiracy behind the assassination," he said.

Questions have also been raised as to why the scene of the attack that killed Bhutto was hosed down by the authorities soon after the blast, a move that may have destroyed valuable evidence.