Intel Community: Military killed Benazir Bhutto
Middle East Times
By Claude Salhani, Editor
Dec. 31, 2007
Lower and middle level officers of the Pakistani army and the Pakistani air force were involved in the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, according to various intelligence sources, including members of India's counter-intelligence service. Well-informed sources have told the Middle East Times that these rogue elements of the Pakistani military support the jihadis and share their extremist views of an ultra-conservative form of Islam.
One former CIA official told a Middle East Times source that, "It's worrying when half of your lower or mid-level Pak intelligence analysts have bin Laden screen-savers on their computers."
The conclusion of a number of U.S. analysts is that al-Qaida and other jihadis have successfully penetrated the armed forces and security services in Pakistan. If these findings are substantiated it could be a matter of grave concern, given the fact that Pakistan is in possession of nuclear weapons.
Should the radical elements of Pakistan's military ever succeed in overthrowing the current regime and taking over the country, it would radically alter the geo-political map of the region -- and not for the better, either. A nuclear-armed Pakistan run by pro-bin Laden sympathizers would likely initiate a climate of high tension not only with neighboring India, but could extend towards the already volatile Middle East.
Backing up their theory that pro-extremists found sympathy and support among influential people in the Pakistani security forces, the sources cited the example of Rashi Rauf, the prime suspect in a recent plot to blow up 10 U.S. passenger airplanes in the United Kingdom last year. Rauf escaped last week while being taken from court in Rawalpindi. The prime suspects are the security personnel, who some believe, have facilitated Rauf's escape, the sources said.
Of the seven or eight attempts to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf, two took place in December 2003 when rockets were fired at his vehicle during a visit to Rawalpindi, the same city where Bhutto was killed on Thursday. Then there was the attempt to fire on his plane with an anti-aircraft gun in early 2007. There were also two suicide attacks on the Army's General HQ and two attacks outside the offices of the ISI, after Pakistani security forces, on Musharraf's orders, assaulted the Red Mosque, the Lal Masjid, in Islamabad last July when Islamists retrenched inside the mosque with scores of hostages. Following the two attacks on Musharraf, junior army and air force officers were arrested. The ensuing investigation discovered that they had ties with Jaish-e-Mohammad, an Islamist group. In the rocket attack, the son of an army brigadier general was arrested. The source says, however, that only lower-ranking army officials were arrested and court-martialed. The investigations are dead in the water.
Bhutto's main fear, according to a well-placed source, was that Brig. Gen. (rtd) Ijaz Shah of the Pakistani IB would prove a grave threat to her. She was worried about security but did not make it a big issue until Dec. 26 when she complained that the electronic jammers used to neutralize IED's were faulty.
But one U.S. analyst familiar with the situation told the Middle East Times that Mrs. Bhutto was warned of security issues. "She was warned of the dangers yet she continued to behave in a way in which the Secret Service in the U.S. would never accept," said Thomas Houlahan, director of military assessment with the Center for Security and Science in Washington, D.C. "She insisted on having her own people run her protection," said Houlahan, who added, "but nothing would protect her when she decided to stand through the sun roof of her car. "That was extremely reckless," said Houlahan. "I don't see what could have been done."
Opposition to Benazir Bhutto was to be found not only in the country's army and air force from bin Laden sympathizers, but also from old (President of Pakistan) Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1) (Joanne Herring’s major allie in Charlie Wilson’s War - JJ) loyalists who did not want the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in a position of power. "They especially loathed the idea that Bhutto had pledged the United States to allow U.S. intelligence to interrogate rogue atomic scientist A.Q. Khan and allow U.S. forces to hunt for bin Laden on Pakistani soil," said the source.
"She did not have much of a chance." The general view among many in the intelligence community is that Musharraf himself is a marked man and not likely to stay in power too long. The question is this: If the Islamists ever succeed in removing Musharraf, with Bhutto now gone, who would be likely to govern Pakistan and gain control of its nuclear arsenal?
http://www.metimes.com/International/2007/12/31/intel_community_military_killed_bhutto/3547/
Comments may be sent to Claude@metimes.com
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(1) General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (b. August 12, 1924–August 17, 1988) was the president and military ruler of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988. Appointed Chief of Army Staff in 1976, General Zia-ul-Haq came to power after he overthrew ruling Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a military coup d'état on July 5, 1977 and became the state's third ruler to impose martial law. The coup itself was largely bloodless, but Bhutto was subsequently tried and executed. Zia initially ruled for a year as martial law administrator, and later assumed the post of President of Pakistan in September 1978. Zia was killed along with several of his top generals and the then United States Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel in a mysterious aircraft crash on August 17, 1988, the circumstances of which remain unclear. His death and the death of the American Ambassador is considered by many high ranking officials to be a well planned assassination.
Posted for FlAttorney by MAR
Charlie Wilson's Way And Another Bhutto's Death
by Fred Schruers
Dec 29 2007
ARTICLE FOOTNOTE REFERENCES by FlA & Co.
(1) Sorry, Charlie. This is Michael Vickers War
Washington Post by Ann Scott Tyson
December 28, 2007
(2) Shortly after the April 22, 2004 release of the book “Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times” by the late George Crile, Tom Hanks paid $1,000, 000 for the book’s movie rights. This was Crile's second book on this specific subject. His first book "My Enemy's Enemy: The Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. The Arming of the Mujahide (published June 12, 2003), was a major failure in public interest and sales. It has no reviews on Amazon.com and only one review on Amazon.co.uk from a former Russian Airborne solider would fought in the Afghanistan war two years, 1984-85, - read * Here *.
From NYT Movie Review: Tom Hanks said he and executives at Universal Pictures fear that "Charlie Wilson's War," would be a dud when it opened. "There's people at the studio, of course, who are losing sleep over it," Mr. Hanks said, neglecting to mention that his own company acquired the project and produced the film with Universal. "There's a possibility that this movie does absolutely nothing. None whatsoever."
Translated – Tom Hanks, received his money up-front from Universal Pictures (NBC-Universal) when his group sold them a turn-key package to produce the movie. Tom didn’t take revenue points on the backend of the deal. He could care less if the movie bombs. Charlie Wilson’s War must have a helluva front-end load because it’s reported breakeven is $153.1 million before it earns a dime. This is extremely unusual for a (George Soros Shadow Party company) Participant Productions produced movie. It’s the highest of any movie they have produced since being founded. All ultra liberal Tom “Never donated a dime to a Republican” Hank’s has to make sure of is that he pays(paid) 15% of his highly inflated loot received from Universal to his Shadow Party Mob Boss, Hungarian George Soros.
(3) Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007 - New York Times Best-Sellers List, Category: Paperback Non-Fiction, #10 Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile (Grove, $14.95; $14). A chronicle, by a veteran producer for "60 Minutes," of a congressman's efforts in the 1980s to steer billions to the anti-Soviet side in Afghanistan. <> Sun., Dec. 16, 2007, the book was #3 on the Best-Seller List.
NOTE: This book belongs in the fiction (drama) section, not the non-fiction section, due to the many liberties, distortions, and flat out lies by ultra liberal Democrat author George Crile. During Crile’s life, he never donated a dime to a Republican (per public records) and refused to ever give a Republican positive credit for anything. In a CBS interview “Rep. Charlie Wilson's Cold War in Afghanistan”, “Charlie Wilson's War” book author George Crile discussed how it was Charlie, not President Ronald Reagan, that beat the Soviets in Afghanistan. Crile also refused to give conservative Republican Joanne Herring proper credit in Charlie Wilson’s War and negatively distorted a number of issues about her involvement - with more than a few flat out lies - in his book. From watching a number of Crile’s interviews about Charlie, it is obvious that George was completely obsessed with Charlie Wilson to a point that it was very strange. It’s interesting that in 1980, CBS did a documentary on the Buena Vista sex park in San Francisco, called Gay Power, Gay Politics. Its CBS producer-reporter was George Crile. Of course, all the aforementioned is only the writer’s personal opinion - and nothing more - as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many other Federal and States’ laws.
(4) Socialite Joanne Herring wins War
The New York Daily News by Rush & Molloy
Wed, December 12, 2007
(5) 12.28.07: If you happened to see Charlie Wilson's War yesterday you no doubt noticed an odd historical parallel: Julia Roberts as right-wing Texas socialite (Joanne Herring) earnestly defending a sitting Pakistani president who doubles as a general and took power in a coup—and is accused of killing a Bhutto - - " [President] Zia did not kill Bhutto", Herring proclaimed. She's referring, of course, to Benazir's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged by after being overthrown in a military coup. It's in the book too, but seeing it onscreen yesterday made everyone in the theater sit up a little straighter. - http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/7507
(6) Sex! Drugs! (And Maybe a Little War)
The New York Times by Richard Berke
December 16, 2007
- - Excellent movie review and article
Photo: A train burned by rioters in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination stands behind a billboard of the popular leader; photo by John Moore/Getty Images
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Received this via email but have not had an opportunity to review.
Book Review: Charlie Wilson's Betrayal
World in Conflict, by Danius Maximus
PublicGood.org - A volunteer network of researchers, analysts, and activists
- - engaged in defending democracy
June 2, 2004
The real story of the book “Charlie Wilson’s War” has been overlooked, to say the least. It is one of those remarkable books that after you have finished reading it, you know less than before you started. The entire function of the book is to make the American public less informed than ever about how we threw ourselves over the cliff of the Cold War and into the chasm of the War on Terrorism. By the time the movie version starring Tom Hanks has been through the theaters, the process of turning history into fiction will be complete.
Posted for FlAttorney by MAR