Benazir Bhutto, Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and two-time Prime Minister, has been assassinated in a bombing in Ralwapindi.  In a sad twist of fate, the assassination took place at Liaquat Bagh — the park that marked the spot of the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan — Pakistan’s first prime minister. Chaos and looting [...]

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Reports are coming in of a suicide bombing at a rally being held by Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi. Benazir Bhutto and Sherry Rehman are in CRITICAL condition. The rear portion of Benazir Bhutto’s car, which was departing, underwent severe damage. Scores dead and wounded. Body parts litter Liaqat Bagh, where the rally was held. Many [...]

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Editor’s Note: Ali Madison is the pseudonym of a leading Pakistani thinker and insider with ties to both the establishment and opposition. With an illustrious career and a number of books to his credit, Ali presents us with his thoughts on President Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in the context of the upcoming elections. [...]

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We’d like to thank all our readers for making this blog as successful as it is. Your readership and support has earned the Insider Brief exposure and recognition in multiple venues – The News: Reuters With Gen. Ashfaq Kayani’s ascendancy to the role of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Reuters published an article on Nov. [...]

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Apologies to all IB readers for my undue absence this week. A host of commitments, primarily work, have kept me away. I’ve also found that much of what’s been creating a buzz in the media hasn’t been that signficant in terms of impact (e.g. Imran Khan’s arrest). Most events, though interesting, will not significantly alter [...]

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President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s gamble appears to be paying off. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry stands sidelined along with some of his recalcitrant colleagues, much of the fractured opposition is either detained or under arrest, and protests have been manageable. Though Benazir Bhutto appears to have entered the fray (now under house arrest), her actions may [...]

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The dust is settling after President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in his capacity as Chief of Army Staff, placed the country in a state of emergency. Many are calling it a “State of Emergency (Plus)” or “Martial Law (Lite)” — this is just semantics — the fact of the matter is that the constitution has been [...]

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Pakistan is now officially in a state of emergency, under a proclamation issued by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. A Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) has been issued as well by Musharraf in his capacity as COAS — not President. This is similar to October 1999 when Musharraf launched his “counter-coup” [...]

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High level sources report that a major decision regarding President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and his government will be made on November 1st. It’s up in the air as to who’s making the decision and about what exactly, however, we have reason to believe that Musharraf will be stepping down from his post as Army chief. [...]

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The blasts in Karachi have left the people of Pakistan shocked and horrified while the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies scramble to find those responsible. As investigations continue, major questions remain unanswered. WHAT WE DO KNOW The tactics and means involved in the attack make us believe with near certainty that they were carried [...]

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Unbeknownst to the public, a high-ranking Pakistan Army delegation returned from a visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on October 11th. (Author’s note: Apologies to IB readers, as much as I’d like to divulge the names of delegation members, I am currently not at liberty to do so.) The visit may have been a courtesy call [...]

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He came, he saw, he … got deported. Nawaz Sharif’s highly anticipated return from exile on September 10th very quickly dissipated into an anti-climactic return to exile. In the wake of his deportation, Benazir Bhutto has announced that after nearly a decade in self-imposed exile, she herself will be returning to Pakistan on October 18th. [...]

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The Howie Mandel in all of us is asking, “Deal or no deal?” It is a question that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and self-exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will have to answer soon if they hope to counter the growing momentum of Nawaz Sharif’s campaign to return not only to Pakistan, but to power. [...]

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