PROFILE
FROM Adrian Levy
What's Next for Pakistan? Despite photographs of a gunman and doctors' reports of bullet wounds to the head and chest, the Pakistani government claims that Benazir Bhutto died when her head struck the sunroof of her vehicle. President Pervez Musharraf has asked help from Scotland Yard to investigate the assassination. After Bhutto's killing and Musharraf's fumbling response, Pakistan is "disintegrating." That's the opinion of a former high-level Pakistani official, who talks ominously about the "death of hope" in his country. We talk with him and others about the impact of the assassination and elections as a possible vehicle for national unity. Will Scotland Yard give Musharraf new credibility? Was he ever a trustworthy ally in America's "war on terror?"
Violence Greets Bhutto's Return to Nuclear-Armed Pakistan Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan yesterday was made possible by a deal with Pervez Musharraf, who offered her amnesty from charges of stealing millions of dollars during her two terms as Prime Minister in exchange for Bhutto's party allowing Musharraf to be reelected President by the parliament, even though he is still the head of the Army. Last night's bombing turned a festival into a tragedy, killing almost 150 people and wounding hundreds more. Now, recriminations are fueling uncertainties about the deals between Musharraf and Bhutto, deals which are already being challenged in court. If that were not enough, it is being reported that the US and Britain ignored Pakistan's illegal nuclear weapons trade for 30 years, all the way back to the Presidency of Democrat Jimmy Carter. Did concern for the alliance allow Pakistan to become a nuclear power and illegally spread the technology to Libya, North Korea and Iran? What can the US do now?
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