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.