Posted on 10/20/2007 8:58:27 PM PDT by blam
Benazir Bhutto takes on a powerful enemy
By Colin Freeman in Karachi
Last Updated: 1:07am BST 21/10/2007
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto plans to purge her country's intelligence services of hundreds of rogue agents suspected of supporting Islamic terrorism, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
Benazir Bhutto: 'We need a security service that is professional'
In a move that puts her in direct confrontation with the nation's most powerful institutions, Ms Bhutto, who returned home from exile last week, said Pakistan's security agencies had to become "professional" outfits free from political agendas.
Foremost in her sights if she returns to power will be the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the secretive "state within the state" that is blamed for orchestrating much of the terrorist violence convulsing Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan.
Many suspect it of providing financial and logistical assistance to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the prime suspects for the suicide bombing that killed 139 people during her homecoming parade in Karachi on Thursday.
Oxford-educated Ms Bhutto, 54, told The Sunday Telegraph: "We need a security service that is professional in its approach, which rises above ties of religious or political sentiment.
"I have strong reservations about some of the people still operating within the intelligence services, and we need reforms to get rid of them."
She spoke out as Pakistani investigators revealed new details about the attack, in which a lone suicide bomber blew himself up alongside her armoured bus.
The attacker, a source close to the investigation said, had tried to break through the security cordon by claiming he was a Bhutto aide, bringing her a box of cotton buds that she had requested. Security staff and police turned him away on his first two attempts, but did not suspect he was a terrorist.
On his third try, having penetrated an outer ring of security, he is thought to have thrown a grenade as a diversion before detonating a device made of C4 plastic explosive and ball bearings.
The bomber's severed head, which remained intact, was recognised by police as the man they twice turned away.
Yesterday, as a police photograph of the bloodied head was printed in many Pakistani newspapers, the source also disclosed that they thought the bomber had been picked for the job because of his close physical resemblance to many of Ms Bhutto's security staff.
The stewards around the bus included many makranis, distant descendants of African slaves who came to Pakistan centuries ago. "The makranis are known for being strong PPP supporters, so they were trusted with being in the inner cordon," said the security source. "The guy they picked for the suicide bombing looked just a makrani."
The same tactic had been used in at least three other suicide bombings in Pakistan in the past year, he said, with the attackers picked to blend in with their surroundings. "If it's an attack in the Punjab province, they'll use a Punjabi, and so on," he said. "It's a sinister development – it shows that they have so many volunteers to choose from."
The attack during Ms Bhutto's homecoming parade killed 139 people
The source also gave the identities of three government officials said to have been named in a letter written by Ms Bhutto to Pakistan's military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, in which she accused them of plotting to attack her. The Sunday Telegraph is not revealing their names for legal reasons, but they include a serving senior commander within Pakistani intelligence.
Ms Bhutto makes no secret of her disdain for the ISI, long the most powerful of Pakistan's myriad security agencies. Formed in 1948 to look after external threats, it expanded out of control in the 1980s, when it was responsible for disbursing millions of dollars of US cash to Islamic mujahedeen fighting the Soviet occupation in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Many of those recruited to its ranks during that time actively sympathised with Islamist movements, and when the Soviets forces left in 1989 they went on to nurture both the Taliban and its ideological ally, al Qaeda.
Among the Islamist operations thought to be sponsored by factions within the ISI today is the Taliban revival in southern Afghanistan, where it is now fighting a bloody campaign against British troops.
For Ms Bhutto, the distrust of the ISI also has a strongly personal element. Its expansion and radicalisation were overseen by another Pakistani military dictator, General Zia ul-Haq, who in 1977 overthrew Ms Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, executing him two years later.
Ms Bhutto suspects the ISI still contains many Haq appointees who nurtured particular grudges against her family's political dynasty. Asked how many agents needed to be removed, Ms Bhutto replied: "There are hundreds of them. We should not have anybody from Zia's time still there."
Ms Bhutto, who hopes to contest elections in January to become prime minister for a third time, said most Pakistanis were now "fed up with extremism and militancy" and anxious to see the ISI tamed.
However, such is the agency's reputation for destabilising successive Pakistani civilian governments that its it is by no means clear whether Ms Bhutto would come out on top. A mass purge of the ISI could see a repeat of problems experienced in Iraq, where the removal of Ba'athist security agents after the fall of Saddam Hussein pushed many directly into the insurgent ranks.
"It is obvious why she might want to kick them out, but it will be very difficult for her," said one Pakistan-based Western official. "It is one of the major friction points in Pakistani politics."
Last night, the atmosphere in the Bhutto camp remained subdued, and a planned trip to visit the grave of her father in the family's home town of Larkana was postponed while officials reassessed the security threat against her.
In the meantime she is in effect confined to her home in Karachi, a reminder of the grim years she endured under house arrest during Haq's time. She has pledged to stay in Pakistan to campaign in general elections in January, but the prospect of further attacks means she may have to think carefully before organising mass rallies.
Pakistan ping
“In a move that puts her in direct confrontation with the nation’s most powerful institutions, Ms Bhutto, who returned home from exile last week, said Pakistan’s security agencies had to become “professional” outfits free from political agendas.”
dreaming of the same thing happening here in the U.S.......
ISI = Pakistan Heroin Wholesale Ltd.
Good luck trying to break that business.
The Indians are much more upfront and honest than our own government about the deparavity of Pakistan and its involvement in the heroin business.
Wish I’d saved the lengthy macroeconomic analysis by Indian scholars (using public figures from the Pakistan government) which made it clear that there were many 10’s of billions of unaccounted-for dollars in the Pakistan economy.
And that’s just for starters.
This goes against the old adage recommending that a leader keep your enemies close so that you know where they are and what they're up to. If she's not careful, she'll create an organized, domestic, and militarized opposition. Rather than announce her intent, she'd have been better off quietly de-balling as many as possible before making her intentions known.
As much as the goal is laudable, it is scary that I'm seeing this before she even takes a position of power. Pakistan is a nuclear powder-keg.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSISL283838
Pakistan rejects Taliban spokesman’s claim on Omar
Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:30am EST
By Zeeshan Haider
ISLAMABAD, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan rejected as absurd on Thursday a claim from a Taliban spokesman arrested in Afghanistan that the Taliban’s fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was living in Pakistan under the protection of its main spy agency.
Afghan officials have often said they believe Omar and other Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan. Many say privately they believe elements of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, are helping the insurgents.
But the claim from the captured Taliban spokesman Mohammad Hanif, who was also an aide to Omar, appeared to be the first time a Taliban member had said Omar was in Pakistan, and not leading the insurgency in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government said on Tuesday authorities had arrested Hanif along with two other men the previous day after they crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
In a video recording of part of his interrogation released by Afghan authorities, Hanif said Omar was living in the Pakistani city Quetta under the protection of the ISI.
He also said former ISI chief Hamid Gul was organising the training of suicide bombers at a religious school in Pakistan.
Retired Brigadier Ejaz Shah (he is head of the Intelligence Bureau, which is a part of the Interior Ministry) (like our FBI)
Ijaz-ul-Haq, he is the Religious Affairs Minister and is son Zia-ul-Huq, who hanged Bhutto’s father.
And an unknown official of the National Accountability Bureau who has been investigating Bhutto and her husband Zardari for corruption.
The Sunday Telegraph is keeping the names secret in a cheap attempt to bolster the effect of their news story of "un-named conspirators" (were they on the grassy knoll, too?)
It is known that there was only one main bomber as only one striker sleeve was found, the vest had about 40 pounds of C4 and ball bearings. AQ has a number of these vests ready to go, are very afraid and hate Bhutto and probably got a lower level Taliban commander to do the dirty work, my guess: Commander Haji Omar of Waziristan.
Here is the cynical aspect: Bhutto could have taken a helicopter instead of an entourage surrounded by 100,000 supporters that traveled only 12 km. in 10 hours, speeches along the way, etc.
She immediately talked of conspiracies against her. She was well aware of AQ/Taliban desires to kill her. What did she think was going to happen? Duh, a bomber showed up and now she can garner political sympathy and gin up a them vs. us scenario to get more votes, "I'm an outsider", "restoring democracy", on and on. The people she named are not that well organized with roaming hit squads, come on.
Lastly, the ISI is now headed by a trusted Musharraf loyalist, Nadeem Taj who is going to root out the Taliban supporters. The real ISI connections to the Taliban are through retired ISI officers who still have a lot of ISI intel access and influence. Musharraf wants them out worse than Bhutto, she will have little to do with it, but plenty to say about it.
Understand that Bhutto is a clever and capable politician, a Pakistani patriot and a friend to America. We cannot kill bin Laden without her, but will have to hold our noses from time to time for her political gamesmanship.
The ISI is an extension of the Pakistani Army-most of it’s officer cadre is deputed from the Army & other services.You can’t defang the ISI without doing anything about the Army.
Bhutto’s IQ is off the charts. She’s also a “slit your throat while you sleep” type of gal.
She’ll eat the ISI for breakfast, and she’ll do so while keeping Musharraf in a position of power for himself, as well.
Sadly, her husband is corrupt...though in his favor he actually gets things done for the cut that he takes from each deal.
We could do worse.
At first glance, I thought the powerful enemy was Ann Curry of NBC(Nothing But Crap)News.
Is Anne Curry the spokesperson for the ISI?
It’s not just Hamid Gul. My theory is that this bombing was a message by people close to Musharraf, such as Ejaz Shah, to Bhutto not to act up. If they wanted her dead, she’d now be in pieces and collected by a sponge.
I think Musharraf wants a controlled level of chaos in Pakistan, so that the US and the West back off the “free and fair” elections pressure and he is free to rig it. If Bhutto cannot conduct rallies, people won’t show up to vote and it makes it easy for the pro-Musharraf parties to rig the game. To keep us quiet, I expect Musharraf to hand over an “Al Qaeda #3” or a Talibunny commander soon.
Hamid Gul is just a pawn here, IMO. We have been played so well by Musharraf.
Purging is equivalent to burying.
This is from the Guardian today:
“But Bhutto thinks ruling party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and a head of a spy agency - both close associates of Musharraf - could be behind the attack. She has given no evidence in public to back up her claim.
Hussain, in an apparently sarcastic swipe at Bhutto, said Monday that her husband, working with Bhutto and other party leaders, arranged the blasts to stir up public sympathy. The proof: Bhutto went into her armored vehicle minutes before the bombs exploded and was not hurt.
Although his tone appeared to be tongue-in-cheek, such accusations often gain traction in Pakistan, where conspiracy theories thrive in its violent, intrigue-filled politics.”
Hussain’s father was killed in 1981 - allegedly by a militant group run by one of Bhutto’s late brothers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7017810,00.html
At least it will interesting weeks ahead.
You’re right, her husband, Zardari, is known as Mr. 10% in Pakistan because that’s his take for arranging government contracts. We will do worse if Bhutto and Musharraf can’t get their economy moving and destroy AQ and at least throw a net over the Taliban.
Sources have indicated that Musharraf now believes Bin Laden and his bunch are worth more to the Pakis dead than alive, there may be a very merry Christmas. Musharraf is a master at the game but Bhutto is even better, our State Department better be able to thin out the b.s. from the buckwheat.
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