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| India-Pakistan |
| Musharraf may have engineered life bid |
| 2003-12-15 |
| EFL: Contrary to claims made by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that a bomb blast at a bridge near Rawalpindi was directed specifically at him, highly placed sources in Islamabad say that he may have engineered the incident to retain Washington’s support as key ally in the war against terror and to strengthen his hold on power. The sources, on conditions of anonymity, further went on to say that it was ironical that no one had as yet claimed responsibility for the blast. It was also inexplicable that the incumbent establishment was continuing to maintain a stoic silence about who may have been behind the so-called assassination bid. All good points. It was their suspicion that Musharraf may have used the "bid on his life" to convince the United States that he was still their best hope in Pakistan and in the South Asian region for cooperation as far as tackling the menace of global terrorism is concerned. Domestically too, Musharraf may have wanted to send a message across to the Bush Administration that attempts to remove him from power at this juncture, could damage efforts to usher in a democratic, secular system of government, especially in the wake of reports that religious extremism and militant activity were raising their ugly heads again. Last time I looked, Musharraf was the only semi-sane leader in Pakistan. We don’t want him gone, the Pak fundi’s do. If Perv staged this attack, and my gut says he did, it was to give him a reason to go after his opponents. They arrested some guys this morning, 3 cops included. We’ll have to watch and see who they implicate. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 I wonder whether the US has a plan how to seize the Pak nukes in case the country sinks into chaos. I hope it does. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-12-15 8:16:46 PM |
| #5 Last time I looked, Musharraf was the only semi-sane leader in Pakistan. We don’t want him gone, the Pak fundi’s do But the Pak Fundi's are his greatest ally, even if they have differences over Afghanistan and America, the Jihadis and the Army continue to be natural allies. And ISI Chief Lt-Gen (retd) Mehmood Ahmed allegedly had money wired to Mohammad Atta, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, but noone delved any further into the allegation, in contrast to reports of an alleged meeting between Atta and an Iraqi intelligence agent. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-12-15 6:21:10 PM |
#4 'scuse me for egotistically quoting myself...As I conjectured [here on RB] yesterday, the boom may have been staged to justify Pervy thinning the crop. If not, then it really justifies Pervy thinning the crop. |
| Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds) 2003-12-15 2:58:53 PM |
| #3 More details: Seven people including three policemen were arrested in connection with the bomb explosion at the Jhanda Chichi bridge in Rawalpindi soon after President Pervez Musharraf’s motorcade passed on Sunday, reports a private television. The authorities are interrogating the arrested persons. Meanwhile, Commander of Army’s Tenth Corps, DIG Rawalpindi and other high-ranking officials visited the blast site in Rawalpindi. All law enforcement agencies were put on high alert in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi soon after the blast. Large-scale operation was also under way in the Federal Capital and adjoining areas. And the roundup begins. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-12-15 1:38:22 PM |
| #2 UPDATE: President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday said he remains undeterred in the wake of terrorist incident on a Rawalpindi bridge soon after he crossed it and asserted that Pakistan will continue to fight against extremism as it is the greatest internal threat to the country. The president said there is no need for despondency or scare and he trusts in God and life continues normally for him. The president said in response to a question that his message to forces behind the incident has been loud and clear, all along. "It is the militants, extremists, terrorists and fundamentalists, who are out to not only damage our nation but also bring a bad name to our great religion." Pakistan, he underlined, faces no external threat but an internal threat in the form of religious extremism. "I have been saying that the greatest danger to our nation is not external, it is internal and it comes from religious and sectarian extremists, and this is a typical example of that. "We have to guard against them and we have to fight all these people with all our might. President Musharraf said he does not have full details about the incident "except that, yes I know, that when I came back from tour of Sindh, and as I was going home from Chaklala, and we crossed the Ammar Chowk bridge there was an explosion just one minute or half a minute after we crossed." The president said he felt the explosion in his car and that is all he knew when he reached home. The government, he said, is collecting all the information. The president said the explosive used in the blast on the concrete bridge must have been very heavy. "It must have been a large explosive because it damaged the concrete." President Musharraf who attended a wedding ceremony at a local hotel said he is used to this kind of things and "we have to fight the forces (behind terrorist incidents) with full might - we will meet this threat and investigate the incident. "It was certainly a terrorist act and, certainly, it was me who was targeted, but let me say with confidence that I am used to such incidents, it has happened before also, one does not get bothered. "God is great and one has to trust in God, there is no problem, life continues normally - God is the Saviour," he made these remarks after attending the wedding ceremony. Shakil Shaikh adds: Undeterred by an apparent attempt on his life Sunday evening President Musharraf went back to the federal capital to attend wedding ceremony of the daughter of former ISI Chief Lt-Gen (retd) Mehmood Ahmed at the hotel almost an hour following an attempt on his life. It was the second attempt on his life in more than a year. The authorities managed to arrest the terrorists and those involved in that attempt. "President Musharraf is a great believer of destiny and fate and he is always undeterred by all such incidents taking place in his life," a president's aide told The News. Following the Sunday attempt on his life, the president went to the Army House and after refreshing himself went back to Islamabad on the same route. He went back to Islamabad even against the advice of his security guides. "What a courageous and bold Muslim the president is," said a senior official. Or he knew that there was not going to be a second attempt. Sounds like a setup job. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-12-15 1:00:36 PM |
| #1 If it's the ISS after him, I don't think he'll last to long. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-15 11:53:38 AM |