The Assasination of Ms. Bhutto and the International Media

Source: BBCUrdu

Grief was felt in LUMS, immediately after the loss of a National Leader

Despite the fact that it was friday evening when most of the student leave to spend the weekend, but as soon as the news about the death of Benazir Bhutto confirmed (around 6:20 PM, i guess) almost all the students that were present at the campus gathered immediately, plunged in deep grief and shock.

The students of the Lahore University of Management Sciences strongly condemned the assassination of former Prime Minister benazir Bhutto in an on-campus sit in today (Thursday), as soon as news was recieved about her tragic demise . Fateha was offered by about 150 students and some faculty members who gathered outside the dining centre upon hearing the news. The students deplored the senseless murder and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice and stressed upon the need for calm and stability in the country.

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Government provided faulty jammers to Benazir: PPP

Following published in Times of India on 25 Dec 2007

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto-led PPP on Tuesday alleged that the jammers provided to her by the government to protect her from bomb attacks during the election campaign were faulty and exposed her to a "high risk."

Rehman Malik, a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and Security Advisor to Bhutto, asked the Interior Ministry to provide "fault-free jammers along with a technician to ensure full protection" to her from any attempted attack.

What were the motives to provide faulty jammers ???

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Video captures assasination attack on Benazir Bhutto

1: A Video captures assasination attack on Benazir Bhutto. The moment a gun is fired from crowd on her and onwards.


2: The Getty photographer John Moore took what is believed to be the final picture of Benazir Bhutto before her assassination. Listen to his eyewitness account, accompanied by his photos of the attack and its aftermath.



source: Both videos were acquired by "The Guardian"

Future of PPP by Javed Chaudhary

Future of PPP

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Benazir Bhutto knew her assassins

 

Benazir Bhutto was also my sister, and I will be with you to take the revenge for her death [..] Don't feel alone. I am with you. We will take the revenge on the rulers », said Nawaz Sharif to the supporters of Benazir Bhutto after her assassination on 27^th December 2007.

 

The assassination of opposition political leaders and activists has always been the practice of tyrants, dictators and imperialist occupiers.   Israel has long practiced such assassinations with the complicity of the United States.  The Israeli Mossad have assassinated numerous Palestinian leaders and activists both from the Fatah Movement as well as Hamas, including the paraplegic Sheik Yassin who was a source of inspiration to Palestinians engaged in freeing their country from the heavily armed and violent Israeli squatters.

 

With the help of the United States, Pervez Musharraf took power in a military coup in 1999 by ousting the twice-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who Musharraf forced into exile to Saudi Arabia by using corruption charges against him as leverage.  On the other hand, twice-elected PM Benazir Bhutto (1988 & 1993) was living as a fugitive in the UK and Dubai as she was fleeing corruption charges and was even sentenced by a Pakistani Court for failure to appear.  During her eight years in Europe, Ms Bhutto was never offered to return Pakistan to hold the fault until Musharraf’s power seriously eroded.  Seeing their grip on Pakistani politics slipping away, the US and the UK quickly brokered a power-sharing deal between Musharraf and Bhutto in Dubai under which Bhutto would have the corruption and theft charges against her dropped.  The deal was sealed with a presidential order (National Reconciliation Ordinance) giving an amnesty to Ms Bhutto and other Pakistani corrupt politicians.

 

Failed assassination attempt

Upon Ms Bhutto’s return to Pakistan on 18^th October 2007, she was greeted with a ‘failed’ assassination attempt while heavily guarded by Musharraf’s Secret Services, army and Police.  Ms Bhutto’s herself asserted that the attempt against her life was orchestrated by “certain individuals who abuse their positions.”, that she even sent a letter to Musharraf giving the names of people in the “government and Pakistan security forces” who have been conspiring against her.  And, earlier, she had even told the French magazine Paris Match that “I know exactly who wants to kill me. It is dignitaries of the former regime of General Zia who are today behind the extremism and the fanaticism.”   People would recall that Zia ul-Haq was a ruthless dictator with whom the US forged a strategic alliance, together with the mujahidin (freedom fighters), who were none other than Osama Bin Laden and the Talibans, in order to defeat the Russian occupation of Afghanistan.  The US also green-lighted Zia ul-Haq’s hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Father of Benazir Bhutto.  When Zia ul-Haq was of no use to the Americans as he enforced strict Islamic law within Pakistan, he was also assassinated in a planned aircraft crash on August 17, 1988.

 

State of Emergency

Ahead of an expected ruling declaring unlawful Musharraf’s eligibility to run for President while still in uniform, Musharraf sacked the Pakistani Supreme Court Judges, banned political rallies and declared a State of Emergency while Ms Bhutto had briefly gone to Dubai.  Upon her re-return to Pakistan Bhutto refused any contact with Dictator Musharraf and demanded that he steps down altogether and started to forge alliances with other political parties, including Nawaz Sharif’s party.  This went against what Musharraf had expected from Ms Bhutto and he placed her under house imprisonment “for her own safety”, he argued.  Other political leaders, including cricketer Imran Khan, and opposition activists were also arrested.  Analysts affirm that from that time onwards Benazir’s Bhutto’s life was in grave danger as soon as she would start addressing the people as the dictatorship had already prepared the ground by justifying her house imprisonment “for her own safety”, hence attempting to shift the blame onto others.

 

The assassination

If Musharraf’s dictatorship knew Benazir Bhutto’s life was in danger, enough to justify her house imprisonment, one would have thought that they would have found it far easier and be better prepared to protect her life.  But this was not to be the case.  On 27^th December 2007, after addressing the people at her first election campaign rally in garrison city Rawalpindi since returning from exile two months ago, Benazir Bhutto was shot twice by a trained marksman, once in the neck and once in the chest.  Whilst one official who asked not to be named said “The attacker fired and then blew himself up”, Sardar Qamar Hayyat, an eye witness and a leader from Bhutto's party, said he was standing about 10 yards away from the vehicle in which was Benazir Bhutto who emerged from the vehicle’s roof to wave to her supporters when he « saw a thin, young man jumping toward her vehicle from the back and opening fire ».  Mr Hayyat did not mention that the marksman blew himself up.  Bhutto was rushed to hospital and taken into emergency surgery. She died about an hour after the attack.  Former PM Nawaz Sharif was at her bedside and he later told both hers and his supporters that Benazir Bhutto was her sister and that her assassination would be avenged against the rulers.

 

Although no one claimed responsibility for Bhutto’s assassination, only the so-called ‘Islamic militants’ are said to be the suspects, and not Musharraf’s dictatorship in which Ms Bhutto had already identified her would-be assassins and which, more than anyone else, knew of the danger she faced but was ‘powerless’ to protect her.

 

Benazir Bhutto’s supporters had no hesitation in holding Dictator Musharraf responsible for her assassination and accused him of complicity in the killing.  They shouted slogans including "Musharraf is a dog" and "Long live Bhutto."  Although Benazir Bhutto had said she was prepared to die for democracy, she wasted her life for a fascist democracy imported form European invaders who supported the dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf under which she was assassinated.  Pakistanis must unite and look for a pro-Pakistan leader and rid the country of all foreign intervention.  Pakistani people are bound to ask how many secret agents from the ISI, the Mossad, the CIA and MI6 were amongst the crowd when the trained marksman shot Benazir Bhutto in the neck and chest.

 

M Rafic Soormally

London

27 December 2007

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The unfortunate UNFORTUNATE state, What are we left with?

We live in an unfortunate UNFORTUNATE state, PAKISTAN, illfamed world over for its political history.

Assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, adds to it even more. Undoubtedly a popular leader, leading the only political party representing federation, boasting an ideology of National Unity with its country wide wings, is gone. Only time will tell in what shape her party comes out, but, for now, it's bogged down once again.

Whats left in our political scene is not promising. PML-Q yet another establishment backed version of Muslim League by yet another Military Dictator. It probably won't be able to outlive the military dictator like previous military backed versions of Gen. Ayub's & Gen. Zia's Muslim League, untill then it is the civil face of military establishment.

PML-N, weakened by the military, kept out of action for a horrendous decade, is the second biggest popular party. But is primarily viewed in other parts of country as the one representing PUNJAB. Recent response from its leadership has given people of other provinces especially SINDH a message that they are with them. But in general it is a Punjabi led Punjab based party.

PTI, under an ambitious leader doesn't has it's roots especially in rural areas. Largely viewed as one man show, It might be promising in the long run, but for now can't fill in any vacuum.

MQM largely contained to two cities, Karachi & Hyderabad, yet another traditionally military backed (except for short period of second term of Benazir) doesn't has a positive face in rest of the country.

Jamaat, JUI & other religious parties then again as always don't have a long term vision, they are as ever too much concerned about picking there shares of spoils, playing with illeterate public and black mailing them in the name of religion.

Then there is a list of ineffective parties whose name is hardly known across the country, they include nationalist, socialist or out casted factions of other parties. Most of them rarely had representation in the National Assembly. They can't play an effective role in national unity.

The only thing we are left with, as ever, is Military! After Tashkent, Simla, Dhaka, Kaargil & 3rd November, We know that they can only do one thing...............pave the way for Pakistan';s break-up, yet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LHCBA announces 15-day mourning

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) president Ahsen Bhoon has announced a 15-day mourning at the bar and Lahore Bar Association president Sayed Muhammad Shah has announced a five-day mourning at the bar at the death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Talking to Daily Times, Bhoon expressed grave grief and held the government responsible for the incident. He termed the incident highly condemnable and said it was the loss of democracy.

Student Action Committee Lahore's press release.

The Student Action Committee Lahore condemns the mindless murder of Benazir Bhutto and the other innocent victims of this tragic incident. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and mourners; we grieve alongside them in this hour of catastrophe.

The state has once again proved criminally inept in providing for the security and safety of the citizens and leaders of this country. However, we ask the people to show restraint and not turn against each other. This is a moment where the nation must stand together. We must not let the perpetrators of this horrendous act succeed in dividing us.

The SAC ( Lahore) calls upon the country to unite in the condemnation of this assassination and realize that now is the time to take our country back from those who have brought it to the brink of failure.

She is sure dead, but are we alive?

It's the question that is haunting me. Can we really call ourselves alive if "we can't do anything". Do we have the right to call ourselves alive? Do we know what this word "life" means? Amidst all this chaos and confusing news of Benazir's death, numerous other news were in circulation. Whether there's going to be another emergency declared is a waiting game now. Would elections make any sense now, even though US has given stern statement that elections should go ahead as planned. There's a set of burning questions, but as I watched different news channels (as i really didn't know what else to do) constantly showing the same footage everywhere, there was an unmistakably distinct pattern i saw even though i was passively watching everything. Four different people said something live on tv, within a time window of 10-15 minutes. These four people are geographically and mentally well apart apparently. US president George Bush, UK Prime minister, Brown, Afghanistan's Karzai, and finally Pakistan's Musharraf. They all said exactly the same words about the incidence. Now this could have been a coincidence for sure, but I dont' know. Each one of them used two keywords "cowardly act" and their favorite term "terrorists". There was an unmistakable correlation between the short statements issued by the "gentlemen".

There's another incidence that happened. I had an argument with my dad. I wouldn't like to quote the naivety of my dad's philosophy, but in short his philosophy stinks of helplessness. It promotes an absolute submission to the global tyrants of this world. I say if we are just waiting for the bullets to come into our own homes one by one and rid us of our lives, we are absolutely dead already!!! If helplessness is all we as humans can achieve in the absence of a gun in our hand, then everything Iqbal has said in his poetry, everything Allah has said in the Quran is false. It is absolutely false, if it is only God that can change things now!!