Musharraf has do so many attempts on his life that I doubt they even make most of them public… but up till now he was the only military target. Today, for the first time in Pakistani history a corps commander[1] was attacked.
bq. Eyewitnesses said gunmen shot on the army and police vehicles and then set off a blast, killing nine people.
>> ‘BBC News: Nine killed in Karachi attack’:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3793089.stm
The attack was very close to the Corps Commander’s official residence, where there is a *ton* of security. Reliable sources say Hayat was shot in the leg, and his driver was also shot.
Military spokesman tried to deny that the general was the target, saying that the escort cars had civilian plates so the gunmen couldn’t have known who it was. They are either on crack or covering up – anyone who’s lived in this city long enough can tell from a mile away if a VIP is passing through, and just by looking at the escort cars and the the guards figure out who the bigshot is.[2]
A number of commentators are going to be writing tomorrow about how this incident is proof that the army has overstayed it’s welcome…
bq. Security officials later saw another suspicious bag by the bridge and found and defused a bomb inside. It contained 11 pounds of explosives attached to a mobile phone rigged to detonate it, police said.
>> “NyTimes: Pakistani General Escapes Gunmen’s Attack”:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/international/asia/10bord.html?ex=1402286400&en=b6a5b442cf9fa813&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND
The _terrorists_ are getting really hightech, blowing up bridges with cellphone detonators… they sure have been watching the right spy movies. What exactly they hope to accomplish by all this killing – they probably don’t know themselves.
fn1. Lieutenant-General Ahsan Saleem Hayat
fn2. The windows are always tinted black, so one can’t tell who’s inside.
Unlike the street riots and many religion based propaganda, such attacks on a bigshot like Corps Commander of Karachi must have some meanings and purpose. And I think they knew more than what the guards and the Karachi security knew what to do. The fact that two bombs were found from the very same place doesn’t make it just another attack on someone out there. Reminds me of General deGaulle assasination attempts. If it was just an accidental attack and not pin-pointedly on General sb. why the fax machines of the country won’t work for two straight hours and no one would let you know what exactly happened. They actually made us believe General was completely safe and unharmed. I think they should have at least said “wounded”.