ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari told former US ambassador Anne W Patterson that former Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was not behind Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, saying Baitullah was “just a pawn” in the process.
In one of the classified US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, Patterson wrote about her meeting with Zardari on January 25, 2008, sating that at one stage in the meeting, Zardari dismissed US belief that Baitullah was behind BB’s assassination.
“Zardari and [Prime Minister] Gilani agree that Pakistan’s biggest threat comes from a growing militant insurgency on the Pak-Afghan border. The military and ISI have not yet made that leap. They still view India as their principle threat and Afghanistan as strategic depth in a possible conflict with India.”
She said Zardari did not have a university degree, yet he wanted to be the prime minister of the country with US’ support, as law was not an obstacle to politicians in Pakistan.
Zardari described Nawaz Sharif as a “shy man”. The president recounted that Nawaz had put him in jail on false charges, while he dismissed the electoral prospects of Fazlur Rehman, leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, saying Fazl feared for his life, hiding out on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
In another memo sent on February 19, 2009, Patterson writes, “It is in US interests for the Zardari and Gilani government to complete its full five-year term, and we should praise army chief Kayani’s efforts to support civilian democracy”.
