Pakistan

Plot to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari uncovered

Intelligence officials arrest eight people involved in a plot to assassinate the president after tapping their phones.

Express June 04, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Intelligence officials have arrested eight men believed to have been involved in a plot to assassinate the President.

According to intelligence sources, intelligence officials had been conducting raids for the past three weeks and had managed to arrest four people from Islamabad and four people from Punjab, who had been plotting to kill President Asif Ali Zardari.

Sources said that intelligence officials had been monitoring the trail of the plotters by tapping their mobile phone lines.

Express 24/7 correspondent Syed Ali in Islamabad said that many of the President’s meetings during the funeral services of Hakim Ali Zardari had been cancelled due to security reasons.

The suspects have been moved to an undisclosed location.

COMMENTS (43)

Taimur | 13 years ago | Reply oh damn...

Phajja | 13 years ago | Reply @saleem: Neither they are stupid nor fanatics. They are the paid killers trained by CIA and Those Rogue Indian Consulates along the Pakistan Afghan border whose only job is to disturb law & order in Pakistan. This is the reaction or let's say regret and humiliation they had to suffer by the hands of Afghans.After all they have lost in Afghanistan. India's future in Afghanistan is not going to be any different. History doesn't lie.

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Morbid Isolation | 13 years ago | Reply What? Wait, hold the phone!...they STOPPED men from assassinating the most corrupt,blood sucking element in Pakistan? They call THIS intelligence?

sam | 13 years ago | Reply "Intelligence officials have arrested eight men believed to have been involved in a plot to assassinate the President." if they (so called intelligence) even had an iota of intelligence, they would have overlooked the entire episode for pakistan's betterment.. I am also glad the accused were referred to as "men" and not terrorists as that would be rather unfair given how they were acting on behalf of every pakistani.... no we are not a nation that condones murder, we are a nation who has been ignored.. left on its own...and opressed by its leader.. we want justice to be served.. we want zardari OUT!

Rizwan Ul haq | 13 years ago | Reply For those who are jumping with joy ....the plan was to attack him during his visit to PIMS to see his father who was breathing his last.. and over 42 militants were trained for the job due to very High security in PIMS itself the plan was to blow up the whole hospital...

RizwanTKhan | 13 years ago | Reply Hahahahaha. Playing the game Musharraf used to play to gain publicity and public sympathy.

sikandar | 13 years ago | Reply Friends that was a decoy actual will happens when everything is cosy and cool.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply @Guru: Thanks for trying to make some civic sense. We in Pakistan love backdoor politics. We believe that the country is owned by army and not its ordinary people. We have no concept and respect of constitution. We have no respect for the people's opinion. We think that a democratically elected (with heavy mandate) PM/President has no right to live in a govt residence. If they occupy those residences, then they should not use them at all. Instead they should rent a cheap motel for everything person. Even for their personal or family affairs. In the USA, the army officers are hired and fired at will of the elected President. Each important position whether SC judge, general or cabinet member is "appointed by president and confirmed by Senate" after an open discussion sometimes lasting weeks and more often rejected by the senate. In Pakistan army barats use C-130 plane, not just their official residences but army bases are used as wedding halls. Army bases are used to protect worst enemies of the civilized world. However, the bitterness and criticism is directed only against democratically elected officials. While there are leaders who bow down in front of worst dictators, the PPP stood against them, hence it is the only national political party and in each election despite the right wing electoral alliance against it, they win general elections. This is a fact and not a fiction. When President Clinton was involved in a sex scandal, some of his enemies were talking about him doing such acts in the Oval Office. They were mocked that it was his residence; he sleeps and showers there, should he rent a cheap motel? Too many hate mongers and enemies of democracy in Pakistan. The constitution should be supreme like a page from the holy book, but for some Pakistanis.

Mahnoor Furqan | 13 years ago | Reply @Guru: The politicians of this state dont take their public seriously so how can we?I mean could u please explain how they have helped Pakistan get out of this chaos and terrorism!everything is getting worse day by day and we are responsible for this ourselves bcoz it was bcoz of or votes that they were able to come in power!This government is an eye-opener for us and lets hope that we will vote for some capable person who can help build a united nation!LETS HOPE FOR THE BEST!

haris | 13 years ago | Reply Another Bad News

R S JOHAR | 13 years ago | Reply Whatever Pakistanis say about Zardari but he is appreciated in India for his statement that Pakistan will never use nuclear weapons first against India.

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 13 years ago | Reply Communist type of action is required to get rid from all these mindsets Days are not far when we will be called as a rogue nation on this planet earth. The other day in Karachi there was all praise for OBL by Mr. Munawar Hassan, leader of JI. All rallies must stop on M. A. Jinnah road. These knee jerk types of people must have mercy on ordinary citizens. One wonders why governments are afraid from these mental cases who have nothing else to do other than giving calls for wheel jams or close down strikes. Some are doing in pants and shirts and some with different turbans.

A Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply @Guru: What "country" are you talking about ??? You are preaching to take president and prime minister seriously, do they take themselves seriously? When president house or the prime minister house of a country become wedding halls (you may remember those pictures) then ... ???

A Hameed | 13 years ago | Reply Have patience folks. Imran Khan could have been our President today but for this efficiency on the part of our agencies! Now we have to wait for elections. Within 90 days of his taking charge, Pakistan will resemble the golden period of Khulafa-e-Rashideen.

Mahnoor Furqan | 13 years ago | Reply No one in this country is safe!I Those who planned to assassinate him were actually trying to destabilize Pakistan further!

saleem | 13 years ago | Reply If the enemy of Pakistan wants to hurt country they should be defending the President and not the other way. Not only these terrorists are fanatics but also stupid

Smarty | 13 years ago | Reply @Abdul: What's the hue & cry if Osama was taken? Did we invited him in Abbotabad?

Guru | 13 years ago | Reply For those who have commented in the negative, let me remind you folks that the President / Prime Minister of a country are its symbol! We laugh at our cricketers and then wonder why other countries don't take us seriously; we mock our politicians and then ask why the world is hell bent upon destroying us. And weren't it us who were saying (after the PNS Mehran incident) that when the symbol (the military in that case) is not safe, then how could we be safe. So, in the same way, any attack - be it on Musharraf, Zardari, Nawaz or any sitting PM/President - is an attack on the highest symbol of your country! So, when you care for Pakistan by condemning the drones etc, do take these things seriously too! Coz when you don't take them seriously, no body will take us seriously!

Uzair | 13 years ago | Reply @Karachi Metro: Or at least it would wash away the filth stacked up across the Country

A Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply @Mirza: We already have more than enough "شہداء جمہوریت". If PPP can NOT investigate killing of Benazir then they better ...

Abdul | 13 years ago | Reply Where were our security agencies when US forces took OSAMA....and when terrorists attaceked the PNC....

Sanity | 13 years ago | Reply This should be done for the public also...they are also human beings...

Azar | 13 years ago | Reply None of the agencies have ever been able to catch the real culprits. Hell, they can't even protect their own backyard. So this story is all BS. The real story is this: our favorite president needs to jack up his points given the upcoming elections. But that won't be enough. Come 2K12, this sad remains of a once popular national party will need another martyr to garner public sympathy to at least stay in business. Who could that be? Not Zardari. Think PM : ) Watch out for the shape of things to come...

sherazi | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Zardari is doing decent job in present circumstances ,, if any kind of terrorist plot got success against him it mean it will be storm for the whole nation

Hassan Naqvi | 13 years ago | Reply He should leave Pakistan, this place is not safe for him :P

User | 13 years ago | Reply Is that good news!

ChottaCheta | 13 years ago | Reply Sounds dodgy.

Hedgefunder | 13 years ago | Reply Perhaps elections also due soon!!! Does anyone really care about this Cockroach! who in his term of Office has actually managed to put the Nation at serious Risk ! In name of so called Democracy!!!

Khayam Mangat | 13 years ago | Reply What about Syed Saleem Shehzad and many many many other innocent Pakis? kia khoob mere shehar mei insaaf hoa ha ek khoon hoa be tu phir maaf hoa ha ae qaum teri kismat mei na izat ha na gaerat ha ye raaz bari daer se ab saaf hoa ha

AAC | 13 years ago | Reply Well timed with the Budget 2011-2012.

nasir | 13 years ago | Reply @imad; agreed

Nadeem Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Those who foiled this attack actually saved Pakistan.

abc | 13 years ago | Reply More reason to remain absent from Pakistan. Drain the Exchequer.

Syed Aftab | 13 years ago | Reply Another plot to divert Pakistani from real issues

Sane | 13 years ago | Reply thank God they were arrested!! otherwise..oh i dont want to think otherwise!

Shahid Khan | 13 years ago | Reply May Allah keep him and every Pakistani safe from blood thirsty animals called extremists.

Bilal khan | 13 years ago | Reply Good job keep it up. Get rid of terrorists.

Karachi Metro | 13 years ago | Reply thunderstorms gaining strength in arabian sea to become a cyclone...could threaten Pakistan...this is more serious...

Clinical Hammer | 13 years ago | Reply Effective intelligence mesures should be undertaken to foil all the terrorist activities in the country. Life of a president is as precious as that of a common man. It is good that they have foiled this conspiracy. But the same should be done on a larger scale.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply This is nothing new. All politically active members of Bhutto family and many PPP secular leaders have been assasinated. Not a single murderer has been caught and punished. In fact many of them including dictator Zia and Qadri have been praised by the right wing Muslims. Still some people would never understand who is pushing Pakistan to the extreme. Only secular leaders of secular parties are targeted for killing and military tout's propaganda.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply He had better wake up and realize that's how much people hate him. Though of course he won't. I'm surprised that it's taken this long for the first attempt. I suppose it has to do with him hiding the presidential palace and running off to France, Britain and Dubia all the time...

Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply Oh man, now the president's security expense would be quadrupled. He is saved but not us.

imad | 13 years ago | Reply it means in Pakistan only Zardari and his team is secure.

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