Bhutto blames extremists for bomb attack

NF Reporter · 10-20-2007, 01:10 AM

AP - Benazir Bhutto blamed al-Qaida and Taliban militants Friday for the assassination attempt against her that killed at least 136 people, and declared she would risk her life to restore democracy in Pakistan and prevent an extremist takeover.

Full Story...

waltky · 11-09-2007, 12:25 AM

Ya gotta stay inna house an' ya can't go out to play wiff all yer lil' friends...

Benazir Bhutto under house arrest
November 09, 2007 - PAKISTAN'S former premier Benazir Bhutto has been placed under house arrest, hours before she was due to lead a rally against a state of emergency, government officials said.

Quote:

"She is being placed under house arrest,'' a senior government offcial told AFP on condition of anonymity. An AFP correspondent saw a magistrate entering her house in Islamabad, apparently with the arrest order, while dozens of police cordoned off the street outside.

Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party also claimed police had arrested 5000 of its supporters to head off the rally. Police had been bracing for a showdown with Ms Bhutto today when she vowed to lead a banned rally against President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of a state of emergency.

The Government deployed 6000 police officers to stop the protest in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, completely sealing off the planned venue in the garrison city with barbed wire and concrete blocks. The stand-off came a day after General Musharraf said he would hold elections by February 15, a month later than scheduled, in a bid to fend off criticism from Western allies and domestic opponents.

"Under no circumstances will the rally be allowed. The law will take its course against anyone who defies it,'' Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz said. "It is the instruction of the provincial government and we will implement those instructions. We have deployed 6000 policemen and taken control of the rally venue,'' he said. Political gatherings have been banned under the state of emergency declared on Saturday.

MORE

See also:

Pakistani police arrest Bhutto supporters
November 08, 2007 - PAKISTANI police rounded up about 400 supporters of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in a crackdown hours after she called for mass protests against emergency rule, her party says.

Quote:

The move came as US President George W. Bush said he had telephoned President Pervez Musharraf to tell him bluntly that he must hold elections as scheduled and quit as army chief. The activists from Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) were detained in a series of raids across Punjab province, the country's political heartland, said the party's provincial secretary general, Ghulam Abbas.

"Police have launched a crackdown against our party workers at village, town and city level. They have taken into custody around 400 of our people from different areas across Punjab,'' Mr Abbas said. Police confirmed between 40 to 50 arrests. A federal government official said the Government "has not ordered a crackdown'' against Ms Bhutto's party activists.

Ms Bhutto said she would hold a rally in Rawalpindi tomorrow despite police threats of a crackdown, and called for a "long march'' on November 13 from Lahore to the capital if General Musharraf does not repeal emergency rule. Police tear-gassed and baton-charged hundreds of Ms Bhutto's supporters outside the parliament building in Islamabad shortly after she spoke on Wednesday, an AFP reporter witnessed. At least three were arrested.

MORE

waltky · 01-18-2008, 07:24 PM

al-Qaida did it...

CIA Links Al Qaida To Bhutto Killing
Jan 18, 2008 WASHINGTON - CIA Director blames Pakistani war lord with Al Qaida links for Bhutto's death.

Quote:

The CIA blames al Qaeda and allies of a Pakistani tribal leader for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a Washington Post interview published on Friday. Hayden's comments were the most definitive public assessment by a U.S. intelligence official of who was responsible for the assassination of the former Pakistani prime minister and opposition leader on December 27, the Post said, adding that the CIA assessment mirrors that of Pakistan.

Hayden said Bhutto was killed by fighters allied with Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader in northwestern Pakistan, with support from al-Qaeda's terrorist network, Post reported. Hayden declined to discuss the intelligence behind the CIA's assessment, the newspaper said. "This was done by that network around Baitullah Mehsud. We have no reason to question that," Hayden said.

The Post said Hayden described the killing as "part of an organized campaign" that has included suicide bombings and other attacks on Pakistani leaders. Hayden said the same network was behind a new wave of violence threatening the stability of President Pervez Musharraf's government, a key ally in Washington's war on terror, the newspaper said. "You've got this nexus now that probably was always there in latency but is now active: a nexus between al-Qaeda and various extremist and separatist groups," Hayden said in the interview.

MORE

waltky · 02-07-2008, 12:31 AM

Tryin' to save his neck...

Pak Taliban leader declares ceasefire
7 Feb 2008, A Pakistani Taliban commander accused of orchestrating the murder of Benazir Bhutto has declared a ceasefire with government forces, a militant spokesman said.

Quote:

Militant leader Baitullah Mehsud had ordered an "indefinite" truce following months of clashes in the tribal region of South Waziristan and neighbouring regions, said spokesman Maulvi Omar. "We have announced ceasefire for an indefinite period because the government stopped attacking us," Omar, the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban (Taliban Movement) Pakistan, told by telephone.

"Baitullah Mehsud has ordered his people to stop attacks against Pakistani forces from Waziristan to Swat and other areas of Pakistan. It is not a formal agreement with the government forces but we have done it voluntarily." he added.

The Pakistani government and the US Central Intelligence Agency have accused Mehsud of masterminding Bhutto's assassination in a gun and suicide bomb attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27. Pakistani officials say he is linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaida network and is also responsible for a string of suicide bombings around the country.

Source

waltky · 10-01-2008, 02:33 AM

Bhutto killer dead...

Pakistan Taliban commander Mehsud dead: Report
1 Oct 2008, Pakistan Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, the alleged mastermind in the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto died today after protracted illness, a media report said on Wednesday.

Quote:

The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Taliban chief, who was believed to be suffering from diabetes and hypertension passed away, Dawn News said quoting official sources. There was no word on the reported development from the numerous spokespersons of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The News daily had reported earlier this week that Mehsud, who suffered from diabetes, had been bed-ridden for the past three weeks and was unable to move, causing a lot of concern among the Taliban leaders.

It was also reported that his poor health had led to the convergence of the top militant leadership at Makeen in South Waziristan tribal region for a meeting. The last time Mehsud had fallen ill a few months ago, he had gone into a coma. His condition was reportedly so bad that a meeting of top Taliban leaders was on the verge of nominating a new chief. However, Mehsud regained consciousness and made a swift recovery.

"This time also he seems to have gone into a coma... This time, however, his condition may be more serious as his kidneys have failed because of the high level of sugar," a source was quoted as saying by the News early this week. Mehsud, 35, a former physical instructor at a school had recently got married. Like his idol, Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Mehsud rarely allowed himself to be photographed or filmed.

Source