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PAKISTAN TIMELINE

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December 31, 2007

  1. New video appears to show Bhutto being shot | HERE
  2. In 2007, shortly before her own assassination, Benazir Bhutton confirmed that Osama Bin Laden was dead. | HERE

 23 Jul 2008

Key Benazir Bhutto assassination witness shot dead . The bodyguard of Benazir Bhutto, who was to be a key witness in an investigation into her assassination, has been shotdead. 

Khalid Shahenshah, who was the former Pakistan prime minister's security chief at the time of her assassination, was killed in a drive-by shooting as he left his house in the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday, police said. 
Mr Shahenshah, 45, was riding in Mrs Bhutto's bullet-proof car when she was killed in a suicide attack in the northern city of Rawalpindi on December 27. 
He was expected to be called to give evidence at a United Nations probe into her death. 
"He was a key witness in the case and was also interviewed by the Scotland Yard experts who came to Pakistan to investigate her killing," said Waqar Mehdi, the junior information minister of Sindh province. "There is a possibility that his killing could be linked to his status as a witness, although investigations are still underway."


Related Articles
A team of Scotland Yard detectives concluded in February that Mrs Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomb and not by gunfire, backing the previous Pakistani government's claim the attack was masterminded by Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistan's top Taliban commander. 
But the UN earlier this month agreed to set up an independent panel to investigate her slaying, following a request by Pakistan's new government. 
In elections held in February, a coalition led by Mrs Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) defeated allies of President Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup in 1999. 
PPP officials have accused Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence services of involvement in her killing, rejecting suggestion the Taliban were responsible. 
Party officials suspect that more than one attacker was involved in the murder. 
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Mr Shahenshah, a father of three, in Karachi. 
He was most recently employed as a security chief at the home of Mrs Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari. 
Police have recovered the car which Mr Shahenshah's assailants used in his murder and were still investigating, Iqbal Mehmood, a senior Karachi police official said. 
Zulfikar Mirza, the Sindh home minister, said it was "premature to say that Khalid was killed for being a witness in Benazir Bhutto's assassination case". | HERE

2 January 2013
By EMMA REYNOLDS

Too young to stand - but he already wants to run the country: Son of assassinated Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto launches his career.  
  • Fifth anniversary of his mother's death in gun and suicide bomb attack
  • Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 24, could be key asset to his party
  • His father rode wave of sympathy to become president in 2007
  • But party is in trouble because of ailing economy and Taliban insurgency
Read more: HERE 

 3/22/2013
Mr Musharraf, 69, who has been in self-imposed exile for five years, is planning to arrive back in Karachi on Sunday. He faces a slew of charges – including treason and conspiracy to murder – as well as the threat of assassination as the country gears up for a general election in May.Although his political lieutenants have largely deserted him and his grass roots support has withered, Mr Musharraf has spent the past year insisting he will return.  
This time nothing has been left to chance.
His daughter, Ayla Raza, petitioned a court in Karachi to ensure he would not face arrest immediately.
Judge Sajjad Ali Shah posted bail at 300,000 rupees (£2,000) in three cases:
  • the 2007 sacking of judges,
  • the 2006 death of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch rebel leader in the south-west
  • and the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto. 
Salman Safdar, one of Mr Musharraf’s lawyers, said: “He has full protection now and he cannot be arrested in these cases upon his arrival in Pakistan.” A handful of his supporters from chanted, “Long Live Musharraf,” and “Musharraf will come back, he will bring prosperity,” outside the court in Karachi.


Mr Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a military coup. He stepped down in 2008, after his party faired badly in elections and fled the country as impeachment proceedings loomed. One former aide said Mr Musharraf had struggled with the idea of retirement and did not understand that his support base in Pakistan had moved on. 
“He used to be the leader of the country,” he said. “Does he realise that the best he can hope for is to be a backbencher?” 

The court’s decision removes a major hurdle to his return. His supporters feared his plane might be refused permission to land or that he would be arrested as soon as he set foot on Pakistani soil. 

This time he has chartered an airliner to carry reporters and supporters with him on Sunday and is even selling photo opportunities at $250 before his departure from Dubai. 

He still faces prosecution in all the cases, including accusations that he failed to provide Mrs Bhutto with proper security on the day she died in a suicide attack.


24 Mar 2013 
Mr Musharraf has returned in an attempt to run in the upcoming general election in Pakistan, due in May. The former army general seized power in a 1999 coup, resigned in 2008 when his allies lost a vote and a new government threatened him with impeachment. He left the country a year later. 

He faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007.

He also faces charges in connection with the death of a Baluch separatist leader. 
Mr Musharraf had been granted bail in advance to avoid being arrested upon his return but he could be detained at a later date.


It remains unclear whether Musharraf will manage to regain influence in Pakistan, where strong contenders for the election include Nawaz Sharif, the man he ousted in a military coup, and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.


On Saturday, Pakistan's Taliban said in a video that they would despatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill the former president and send him to "hell". Musharraf dismissed the threats.
Mr Musharraf angered the Taliban and other groups by supporting the US war on terror and launching a crackdown on militants.
He has said he will spend the first few days upon his return in the port city of Karachi before going to Islamabad to deal with his legal problems.


Edited by Chris Irvine, telegraph.co.uk
Contains video from APTN | Pervez Musharraf returns to Pakistan - 3/24/2013

3/24/2013

If the former commando hoped for a swashbuckling return to a country he ran for nine years, he would have been disappointed. Party officials said they were forced to abandon plans for a rally at the mausoleum of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founding father, after police withdrew permission at the eleventh hour.


Instead he addressed a crowd of only about 2,000 people at the airport, a fraction of the 100,000 plus that Imran Khan had rallied a day earlier in Lahore.


"I was born here," he said in a speech delivered without a public address system and audible only to those within a few feet. "And I will serve Pakistan until my deathbed."


He faces even greater challenges to make himself heard. At the weekend the Pakistan Taliban announced it had formed a death squad of suicide bombers and snipers to hunt down the 69-year-old.


He is also wanted in connection with a slew of criminal cases, including treason and conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto.


His real undoing may be the memory of his 1999 military coup and a reign that included a ban on political parties, leading to the suspension of the country's chief justice, a move which eventually spelled his downfall in 2008. Most of his political allies have switched to other parties and few believe he can win anything other than a single seat at elections due on May 11.


In stark contrast to the snappy Western suits and military fatigues he was once known for, he was dressed in a white Nehru jacket emblazoned with the badge of his All Pakistan Muslim League party.


"I don't get scared by anyone except Allah the Almighty... I have come back by putting my life in danger," he said.


"I have been ordered by my people to come back and save our Pakistan, even at the risk of my life.I want to tell all those who are making such threats that I have been blessed by Allah the Almighty." 
The faithful who greeted him at the airport came armed with bags of fragrant rose petals.
Drummers kept up a steady rhythm despite the heat of the sun.


Syed Riaz Ali Khan, a retired airline ticketing office, said Mr Musharraf was the only leader who could rid the country of its corrupt politicians. "Musharraf is dracula to politicians," he declared. 
Others were less enthusiastic. 
"I'm not a Musharraf supporter. I'm just here because the MQM told me to come," said Imran, who declined to give a second name, referring to the party that runs Karachi and has struck a deal with the former president.


Mr Musharraf was driven from the airport with a military escort to spend his first night on home soil in one of the city's best hotels. Its Scottish general manager, who asked that the hotel not be named, greeted his guest – a well-known whisky drinker - with a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label


He is expected to spend the next few days in Karachi working out a slate of candidates and a strategy for the poll.


Fawad Chaudhry, a former Musharraf aide who joined the governing Pakistan People's Party, said Mr Musharraf had ignored people around him who told him he faced an election disaster.


"He believes he's the only electable leader of Pakistan, that he's the only one with the experience and ability to meet Pakistan's needs," he said. "He believes the country will rally round him once he's back."


The final hurdle to his return was lifted on Friday, when a court granted him pre-arrest bail in a string of cases, removing the fear that he would be arrested as soon as he left the Emirates flight which carried him to Karachi.


He is wanted in connection with the 2007 murder of Benazir Bhutto. A United Nations investigation concluded in 2010 that her death could have been avoided and that the then government failed to provide adequate security.


On Saturday, the Pakistan Taliban said they would kill Mr Musharraf if he returned.


In a video seen by The Daily Telegraph, Adnan Rasheed, who took part in a 2003 attempt to kill Mr Musharaff, said: “The mujahideen of Islam have prepared a special squad to send Musharraf to hell. There are suicide bombers, snipers, a special assault unit and a close combat team.” 

English.news.cn   2013-05-12 03:02:40

Pakistan ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's party leading in elections

ISLAMABAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML- N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is leading in the general elections, the initial results suggested late Saturday night.
The PML-N is in lead with 115 National Assembly seats than its arch rivals the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Sharif's party is ahead mostly in Punjab, the country's most populated province and also the stronghold of the PML-N. Nawaz Sharif himself is leading with huge margin from his rivals on two seats, one in Lahore, his home constituency and the other in Sargodha, a main city in Punjab province.
The trend shows that PML-N is likely to get simple majority for formation of the government in center. But the party will need support of other parties for a comfortable majority and a stable government.
PTI, led by the cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, is emerging is the second largest party with 37 seats. PTI chief, who is contesting on four National Assembly seats, is leading on all seats.
PPP is placed third in the race with lead in 33 National Assembly seats, mostly in southern Sindh province. The PPP candidates are also showing good results in southern parts of Punjab.
Independent candidates are on upper hand on 22 seats across Pakistan while Jamiat ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party is in lead on 11 seats. JUI-F is leading mainly in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM is ahead of its rival on eight seats in the port city of Karachi.
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) party is leading on five seats, all in Punjab.
Jamaat-e-Isalmi party is heading to victory on three seats, all in Khyber Pakhutunkhwa, the unofficial results suggest.
The ethnic Pashtoon Awami National Party (ANP), which ruled the Khyber Pakhtukhwa province over the past five year, is not leading in any part of the country.
Out of 272 seats of the 342-member National Assembly, elections were held in 268 constituencies as four National Assembly seats remained uncontested due to death of candidates and poor law and order situation.
Election on special seats for women and minorities will be determined later on the basis of seats the parties will get in general elections.
Related:
32 killed, over 200 injured during election day in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 people were killed and 224 others injured in a number of attacks and violence incidents across Pakistan during the general election day on Saturday, local media reported.
According to local Urdu TV channels, totally 43 violence incidents including bomb blasts, firing and rocket attacks were observed in different parts of the country that killed 32 besides leaving 224 others injured during the 10-hour polling time that ended at 6:00 p.m. (local time). Full story
Polling for Pakistan's general elections concluded with "huge turnout"
ISLAMABAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Polling in Pakistan general elections was concluded Saturday evening and counting of ballots has now been started, election officials said.
Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, told a news conference that the election was relatively peaceful despite some attacks and complaints, particularly in the country's southern port city of Karachi. Full story

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