Bhutto bin Dead!

The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto by a suicide bomber is not only the latest twist in the muddled situation in the nuclear-capable but fractious nation.

It also betrays the mysterious hand played by powerful forces out to mangle whatever chances Pakistan had 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 had an interview with David Frost of BBC which was never aired and viewed thru BBC international TV network but can bee seen thru YouTube.com, and exposed what has been common knowledge in Pakistan--- that Osama bin Laden had 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 of the mattresses against the al-Qaida 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 or more, 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 Condoleeza Rice, and encouraged to return to Pakistan and participate in elections that were clearly rigged in favor of Pervez Musharraf. The US knew well that she was the target of an assassination plot much deeper than that of Indira Gandhi and had 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. Only death would ensure that Bhutto would not repeat the mistake.