The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Agency News Bias

By Jon Gold
12/27/2007

Today, sadly, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. The list of suspects is a long one, but for the purposes of this article, I'm going to focus on one. The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency or, more commonly known within the 9/11 Truth Movement as, the ISI.

There have been all kinds of reports that say they may have had a hand in it.

Guardian reported:

"After the October assassination attempt, Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who is in Dubai where the couple had been living in exile, accused members of the Pakistani security services, the ISI. "I blame government for these blasts," he said. "It is the work of the intelligence agencies."

Elements of the ISI sympathise with the Taliban and it was a possibility that "rogue elements" in the intelligence services were involved in the two attacks. The ISI became one of Pakistan's most powerful institutions under General Zia-ul-Haq, the man who launched an Islamisation campaign and who overthrew Bhutto's father and had him hung. After Gen Zia's death in a mysterious plane crash in 1988, the ISI actively campaigned against Bhutto when she entered politics."The London Times reported:

"But fingers will also be pointed at Inter-Services Intelligence, the agency that has had close ties to the Islamists since the 1970s and has been used by successive Pakistani leaders to suppress political opposition. [...] She accused Pakistani authorities of not providing her with sufficient security and hinted that they may have been complicit in the bomb attack. Asif Ali Zardari, her husband, directly accused the ISI of being involved in that attempt on her life. [...]
Analysts say that President Musharraf himself is unlikely to have ordered her assassination, but that elements of the army and intelligence service would have stood to lose money and power if she had become Prime Minister."
The Washington Post reported:
"Even before the official search got underway in Pakistan, U.S. intelligence agencies yesterday were drawing up their own list of possible suspects in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto -- a list that includes al-Qaeda as well as elements of Pakistan's own intelligence service. [...] But several officials said it is equally plausible that the assassination was carried out with the support -- or at least the tacit approval -- of Pakistani government employees. [...] Although Zinni is skeptical of the notion that Pakistani intelligence backed the assassination, other experts saw the hand of Pakistan's military intelligence arm, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, which supported the Taliban inside Afghanistan until the U.S. invasion in 2001, and is believed to maintain links to Islamic extremist groups. [...] "I know what many people in Pakistan and Afghanistan believe: They think that the Pakistani military killed her," he said. "I am not endorsing this belief -- or denying it -- but it is a political reality."

Honestly, I don't know if the ISI was involved. The WPost reported, "At the same time, the official said, the rioting and unrest triggered by the slaying threaten the country's stability in a way that directly undermines the government of Musharraf, who had been her chief political rival."

However, Benazir Bhutto has not been a friend to the ISI. Just in the last week, she accused "Pakistan's Military Intelligence" (which I assume is the ISI) of spying on candidates for the election. I'd say they are definitely suspects for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

It is curious though that the ISI's possible involvement in this assassination is getting so much news coverage, and the ISI's possible involvement in the 9/11 attacks got so very little. At least in the United States.

When it was reported that Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh wire transferred $100,000 to Mohammad Atta under the direction of the ISI Chief Lt. General Mahmood Ahmed, the media barely covered it.

When it was reported that Lt. General Mahmood Ahmed "lost his job because of the "evidence" India produced to show his links to one of the suicide bombers that wrecked the World Trade Centre", the media barely covered it.

When it was reported that "a juicy direct connection was also established between Mahmoud and Republican Congressman Porter Gross and Democratic Senator Bob Graham" the media barely covered it.

When it was reported that during the week of 9/11, Lt. General Mahmood Ahmed "held long parleys with unspecified officials at the White House and the Pentagon. But the most important meeting was with Marc Grossman, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs" the media barely covered it.

When Dep. FBI Dir. John S. Pistole testified before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs that "a continuing investigation, in coordination with the PENTTBOMB Team, has traced the origin of the funding of 9/11 back to financial accounts in Pakistan, where high-ranking and well-known Al Qa'ida operatives played a major role in moving the money forward, eventually into the hands of the hijackers located in the U.S." the media barely covered it.

When an FO official, Sadiq, reported that “Pakistan gave tens of thousands of dollars through its lobbyists in the United States to members of the 9/11 inquiry commission to ‘convince’ them to drop some anti-Pakistan findings in the report" the media barely covered it.

When President Musharraf wrote in his book that Omar Sheikh may have been an MI6 asset, the media barely covered it.

When the Washington Times reported that 9/11 Family Member Lorie Van Auken was "irate" that the June 16 commission narrative of the 9/11 attacks did not even mention the allegation about Ahmed's role in the $100,000 transfer to Mohammed Atta", the media barely covered it.

When 9/11 Family Member Bill Doyle reported to Alex Jones that a source told him part of the 28 pages of the Joint Congressional Inquiry talked about the U.S. funneling money into Pakistan, the media barely covered it.

When Mariane Pearl, wife of slain Wall Street Journal Reporter Daniel Pearl, wrote in her book, "A Mighty Heart" that "I read that the U.S. embassy in Islamabad asked the Pakistani government to hand over Omar on January 21–two days before Danny was kidnapped. The reason given for the U.S. request was that the 1994 kidnapping included an American citizen. But it seems clear to me that the U.S. authorities wanted to follow up on a much more disturbing trail. I read a news report from October that claimed the FBI had found “credible links” between Omar Saeed Sheikh and then director of the ISI Lieutenant General Mahmood Ahmed. It was alleged that it was Ahmed who instructed Omar to wire the $100,000 to Mohammad Atta" the media barely covered it.

When it was reported that Osama Bin Laden had a Pakistani ISI "Handling Officer", a person who looks after the welfare of the source, keeps him motivated and uses him as needed" the media barely covered it.

When it was reported that “A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005.” […] “Pakistani government sources say the secret campaign against Iran by Jundullah was on the agenda when Vice President Dick Cheney met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in February”, and that "Pakistan policy is essentially being run from Cheney's office" the media barely covered it.

I understand that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is devastating news, and that it will probably create a lot of problems for Pakistan, however, I also understand that the murder of 2,973+ people on 9/11 was ALSO devastating news, and created A LOT of problems for America and the rest of the world.

What I don't understand is why the media has a bias against reporting on the Pakistani ISI's alleged role in the 9/11 attacks. Media, maybe you can explain this to us.

Yes, and the mainstream media here at home are spinning

all sorts of bogeyman al-Qaeda did it stories, to reinforce the official lies & fears of 9/11.

I just sent this...

To a few people...

You'll remember the report about Osama's "handling officer" being in charge of Benazir Bhutto's security at the time of the first bombing in October:

http://www.911blogger.com/node/12478

"Brig Ejaz Shah has been strongly criticised by Benazir and her supporters for the security failure and they have demanded his removal and arrest."

Now it's found that Benazir Bhutto was going to deliver a report to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), "because Bhutto did not trust the Bush administration, which is seen in Pakistan as strongly backing Musharraf" that accuses Osama's "handling officer" of taking part in "an ISI safe house used to rig the elections" the night she was assassinated.

Here are all of the sources for the above statement:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3116090.ece
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10485055
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/CNN_CBS_obtain_secret_Pakistan_election_01...

As reported on cooperativeresearch.org, Ijaz Shah was also Omar Sheikh's "supervisor" for the ISI. You can read about him in the "Who Is? Archives."

http://visibility911.com/jongold/?p=317

According to Spencer Ackerman, most of the aid going to Pakistan is in untraceable cash transfers. Also, the Pentagon just approved the sale of 18 F-16s to Pakistan.


Who Is? Archives

Let me explain...

"What I don't understand is why the media has a bias against reporting on the Pakistani ISI's alleged role in the 9/11 attacks. Media, maybe you can explain this to us."

Let me explain.

Because no one is going to accuse an entire country of being invovled with 911 based on the a Times Of India article with no coroberating facts, interviews, or updates. Its from 2001 man.

The Times Of India has actually distanced itself from it's claims about the 100K being wired from Omar Saiid Sheikh..

ESPECIALLY with the current meglomaniacs in office. Invading Pakistan based on an outdated article from the Times of Inida?

Shit, we've seen worse (IRaq 2003).

I can imagine an invasion of Pakistan based on shoddy inteligence about 911. And I can imagine the same criminal government (Arlin Spector) allowing it to happen without as much as a wimper.

Can't Stop 9/11 Fever

WOW!!!

http://visibility911.com/jongold/?p=364

BTW... does this story from Agence France-Press on 10/10/2001 confirm the Times of India allegation of Ahmad's involvement?

A highly-placed government source told AFP that the "damning link" between the general and the transfer of funds to Atta was part of evidence which India has officially sent to the US. "The evidence we have supplied to the US is of a much wider range and depth than just one piece of paper linking a rogue general to some misplaced act of terrorism," the source said.

Isn't that a second source?


Who Is? Archives

lol

ahhh...and you admit you only have one source?

It's about time.

Umm...I guess I'll give you this one.

But serious man, whats with the shady article?

Did you notice the author?

The author's name is dotdotdot...

...

lol

Believe what you want Jon. I look at your two sources which have been removed from the web, were written in 2001, and have...in 6 years...evolved into nothing.....and I see a waste of time.

The sad part is people all over the net repeat this shit as if it has been confirmed.

Oh well. All I can do is continue to state the obvious.

Can't Stop 9/11 Fever

Another corroboration- taped phone calls

It is suggested that Saeed Sheikh, who wires the hijackers money in the summer of 2001 (see Early August 2001), may be involved in one or both of these transfers. For example, French author Bernard-Henri Levy later claims to have evidence from sources inside both Indian and US governments of phone calls between Sheikh and Mahmood Ahmed, head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, during this same time period, and he sees a connection between the timing of the calls and the money transfers (see Summer 2000). [Frontline, 10/13/2001; Daily Excelsior (Jammu), 10/18/2001; Levy, 2003, pp. 320-324]

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a062900transfer#a062...

BTW, Jon, we shouldn't be worried that someone tries to downplay of sicnificance of this info- it's crucial information for state sponsored terrorism, and at the same time an ultimate proof for an inside job.

There are people...

That try to put words in my mouth by suggesting that I think we should blame the whole country of Pakistan, and try to say that there is only one source for this story which I proved above is not the case (not to mention the fact that the Press Trust of India, India Today, and the Daily Excelsior also reported on it). All I can do is smile, and know that I'm right, and they're wrong.


Who Is? Archives