IX. CAN BHUTTO'S SON AND HUSBAND CARRY ON HER REFORM?

Scott Bilger, an editorial board member of two of Gannet's N group newspapers, wrote a commentary entitled “Reasons everyone should be concerned about Bhutto’s assassination” (The News~Messenger, News Herald, Jan. 2, 2007). He hinted that Pakistan’s ruler, Pervvez Musharraf, is not walking the talk when he declares he‘s our ally in the war against terrorism, that anti-American sentiment there rose after our 2001 Afghanistan invasion and that Islamic extremists enjoy total freedom in Pakistan’s tribal border areas. They cross the Afghanistan border to attack American soldiers and retreat back to their sanctuary at will.

Bilger concluded by hoping that Bhutto’s son and husband will be able to “incite the same fervor for change that she did”.

Recently I attended an Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) symposium outside Washington, DC. The topic of al-Qaida’s role in Pakistan was the central topic of formal lectures presented by intelligence specialists, in subsequent small group discussions, and at gatherings around the hotel watering hole later on in the evening.

Bilger’s interesting commentary made much of what I saw and heard at the three-day symposium surface. Many retired and still active intelligence analysts and operatives I met there would agree with his words. They do not see Pakistan’s Musharraf as being America‘s warrior against radical Islam. Here’s three reasons why:

(1) Rashid Rauf. A British national of Pakistani descent, he was a major player in the international plot to detonate bombs on transatlantic jumbo jets in August 2006. This photo shows Rauf, 25, arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents in August after a tip-off from their British counterparts. Rauf was eager to surpass 9-11’s American death toll by funding and training 26 Pakistani British nationals to pack the liquid chemical peroxide-based TATP in their carry-on luggage, concealed in drink and toothpaste containers. They intended to board a dozen Continental, United and American Airlines jumbo jets leaving Britain for New York City, Washington D.C. and California. Once over the Atlantic, they would ignite the explosives with detonators hidden in cell phones and MP3 players. Before the plan was made public, Pakistani authorities arrested Rashid Rauf for possessing false identity papers and bomb-making materials. The British intelligence service (MI-5) was already on to the terrorist scheme and repeatedly attempted to extradite Rauf under the deception that he murdered his uncle in Birmingham. Still, Pakistani authorities would not release him.

While MI-5 swooped down and arrested all 24 of Rauf’s terrorist buddies around London, the terrorism charges against Rashid were mysteriously dropped by the Pakistani court and last month he “escaped” from his jail cell after freeing himself from handcuffs. Let’s see…12 jumbo jets carrying an average of 500 passengers each… Rashid roams free. Do the math and connect the dots.

(2) Frontier Corps. Billions of dollars of our tax monies go to fund this new paramilitary force of 80,000 soldiers. Their goal? To aggressively hunt down al-Qaida and Taliban militants throughout Pakistan‘s remote tribal areas. However, Pakistan wasted the funds on heavy arms, like harpoon missiles to sink warships, F-16 fighter jets, and howitzers to wage conventional war against their rival and our friend, India.

Thus, without counterinsurgency training, night-vision equipment or communications gear, the Frontier Corps, wearing sandals and toting obsolete bolt-action rifles, suffer defeat whenever they engage a cunning al-Qaida and Taliban force armed with deadly AK-47 assault rifles and grenade launchers.
General Musharraf squandered President Bush’s multi-billion dollar counterinsurgency subsidy and ignored his heavy political pressure to attack the militants in the tribal areas. Meanwhile, al-Qaida and Taliban forces in Pakistan swell in both number and courage.

(3) Pakistan gave Taliban military aid. The CIA operates secretly in Afghanistan and Pakistan and doubled their number of Case Officers (CO) embedded throughout the region. These CO’s recruit local spies in high and low-level positions, enabling US intelligence to expose Pakistan’s true nature. The CIA “acquired” (embezzled) official documents that make it clear that before 9/11 the Pakistani government sent arms and soldiers to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. And, Pakistan’s intelligence service (ISI) still protects Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists in the tribal areas. The CIA is certain that devoted Islamic extremists operate within ISI’s ranks.

Scott Bilger’s commentary was on target. Yes, we can only pray that Benazir Bhutto’s surviving son and husband can incite the same fervor for change as she did. I wonder if the Pakistani Government will protect them from harm?

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the US intelligence community.
Contact him at: robertsmorton@hotmail.com or visit his Declassified Secrets website at: http://www.robertmorton.net/