Benazir Bhutto's disclosure was her fatal mistake

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:14am (Mla time) 01/15/2008

The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is not only the latest twist in the muddled situation in the nuclear-capable but fractious Pakistani nation. It also betrays the mysterious hand played by powerful forces out to mangle whatever chances Pakistan has to restore democracy and eliminate the deleterious effects of strongman rule in a frontline state in the so-called war against terror.

Strange as it may seem, Bhutto was murdered after she was interviewed by BBC's David Frost. The interview was never aired on BBC, but it can be seen on YouTube.com. The interview exposed what has been common knowledge in Pakistan -- that Osama bin Laden has been dead for six long years.

This bit of information may have struck the militarist wing of US policymakers and their supporters in Pakistan, particularly the anti-Bhutto factions in the intelligence services and the military hierarchy.

It was a deadly bit of information that could not have passed unnoticed, not only among Middle East experts but also the clutch of forces pushing for a war against al-Qaeda and Bin Laden. Maintaining the myth about the lingering terrorist threat posed by Bin Laden and his ragtag troops was necessary for the war dollars to pour in, increasing the annual budget of $600 billion, and thus justify continued US military presence and hegemony in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bhutto was a victim of international intrigue, for she was nurtured well by the Department of State, particularly by Condoleezza Rice, and encouraged to return to Pakistan and participate in elections that were clearly rigged in favor of Pervez Musharraf. The United States knew well that she was the target of an assassination plot much deeper than the one that got Indira Gandhi; and reported -- after Bhutto's death naturally -- that the Pakistani opposition leader was apprised of the threats but these warnings were "ignored."

There is a basis for suspicions that Bhutto's murder was the product of the confluence not only of events but also of interests, with the US militarists and the Pakistani fascists agreeing that her revelation about Bin Laden's demise was a fatal mistake that must not be replicated.
ENRICO SAN JUAN (via email)

-- Shared by Aurora Pijuan