Syed Saleem Shahzad, a journalist, had gone missing.Later,he was found dead after being tortured. His fraternity fears that he might have been picked up by the agencies after this last report he filed which alleged links of Navy Officials with AlQaeda.Pls find below story filed by the deceased Journalist.May his soul rest in peace!

Al-Qaeda had warned of Pakistan strike
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

This is the first article in a two-part report.

ISLAMABAD - Al-Qaeda carried out the brazen attack on PNS Mehran naval air station in Karachi on May 22 after talks failed between the navy and al-Qaeda over the release of naval officials arrested on suspicion of al-Qaeda links, an Asia Times Online investigation reveals.

Pakistani security forces battled for 15 hours to clear the naval base after it had been stormed by a handful of well-armed militants.

At least 10 people were killed and two United States-made P3-COrion surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft worth US$36 million each were destroyed before some of the attackers escaped through a cordon of thousands of armed forces.

An official statement placed the number of militants at six, with four killed and two escaping. Unofficial sources, though, claim there were 10 militants with six getting free. Asia Times Online contacts confirm that the attackers were from Ilyas Kashmiri's 313 Brigade, the operational arm of al-Qaeda.

Three attacks on navy buses in which at least nine people were killed last month were warning shots for navy officials to accept al-Qaeda's demands over the detained suspects.

The May 2 killing in Pakistan of Osama bin Laden spurred al-Qaeda groups into developing a consensus for the attack in Karachi, in part as revenge for the death of their leader and also to deal a blow to Pakistan's surveillance capacity against the Indian navy.

The deeper underlying motive, though, was a reaction to massive internal crackdowns on al-Qaeda affiliates within the navy.

Volcano of militancy
Several weeks ago, naval intelligence traced an al-Qaeda cell operating inside several navy bases in Karachi, the country's largest city and key port.

"Islamic sentiments are common in the armed forces," a senior navy official told Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media.

"We never felt threatened by that. All armed forces around the world, whether American, British or Indian, take some inspiration from religion to motivate their cadre against the enemy. Pakistan came into existence on the two-nation theory that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations and therefore no one can separate Islam and Islamic sentiment from the armed forces of Pakistan," the official said.

"Nonetheless, we observed an uneasy grouping on different naval bases in Karachi. While nobody can obstruct armed forces personnel for rendering religious rituals or studying Islam, the grouping [we observed] was against the discipline of the armed forces. That was the beginning of an intelligence operation in the navy to check for unscrupulous activities."

The official explained the grouping was against the leadership of the armed forces and opposed to its nexus with the United States against Islamic militancy. When some messages were intercepted hinting at attacks on visiting American officials, intelligence had good reason to take action and after careful evaluation at least 10 people - mostly from the lower cadre - were arrested in a series of operations.

"That was the beginning of huge trouble," the official said.

Those arrested were held in a naval intelligence office behind the chief minister's residence in Karachi, but before proper interrogation could begin, the in-charge of the investigation received direct threats from militants who made it clear they knew where the men were being detained.

The detainees were promptly moved to a safer location, but the threats continued. Officials involved in the case believe the militants feared interrogation would lead to the arrest of more of their loyalists in the navy. The militants therefore made it clear that if those detained were not released, naval installations would be attacked.

It was clear the militants were receiving good inside information as they always knew where the suspects were being detained, indicating sizeable al-Qaeda infiltration within the navy's ranks. A senior-level naval conference was called at which an intelligence official insisted that the matter be handled with great care, otherwise the consequences could be disastrous. Everybody present agreed, and it was decided to open a line of communication with al-Qaeda.

Abdul Samad Mansoori, a former student union activist and now part of 313 brigade, who originally hailed from Karachi but now lives in the North Waziristan tribal area was approached and talks begun. Al-Qaeda demanded the immediate release of the officials without further interrogation. This was rejected.

The detainees were allowed to speak to their families and were well treated, but officials were desperate to interrogate them fully to get an idea of the strength of al-Qaeda's penetration. The militants were told that once interrogation was completed, the men would be discharged from the service and freed.

Al-Qaeda rejected these terms and expressed its displeasure with the attacks on the navy buses in April.

These incidents pointed to more than the one al-Qaeda cell intelligence had tracked in the navy. The fear now was that if the problem was not addressed, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines could face a new threat. NATO convoys are routinely attacked once they begin the journey from Karachi to Afghanistan; now they could be at risk in Karachi port. Americans who often visit naval facilities in the city would also be in danger.

Therefore, another crackdown was conducted and more people were arrested. Those seized had different ethnic backgrounds. One naval commando came from South Waziristan's Mehsud tribe and was believed to have received direct instructions from Hakeemullah Mehsud, the chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban). Others were from Punjab province and Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.

After Bin Laden was killed by American Navy Seals in Abbottabad, 60 kilometers north of Islamabad, militants decided the time was ripe for major action.

Within a week, insiders at PNS Mehran provided maps, pictures of different exit and entry routes taken in daylight and at night, the location of hangers and details of likely reaction from external security forces.

As a result, the militants were able to enter the heavily guarded facility where one group targeted the aircraft, a second group took on the first strike force and a third finally escaped with the others providing covering fire. Those who stayed behind were killed.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief and author of Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11 published by Pluto Press, UK. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

May his soul rest in peace.
Saying truth is so much expensive now a days, and human life is so cheap.. Ek muflis kay liye aj kal sb se sasti cheez death hai

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I lived only once in my life and i longed only for two hours. after that numbness and melancholy embraced my entity

May his soul rest in peace.Andhon k shehr me jis k beenai ho wohi sb se bara mujrim hota hey.

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I shall either find a way,or make one
'Wa tu izzu man-ta shaa, wa tu zillu man-ta shaa'

SYED SALEEM SHAHZAD
I am in my early 30s and based in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi. I have been writing for newspapers for several years, starting as a staff reporter at The Star (Dawn Group of Newspapers), to which I am still affiliated as senior political correspondent. The power sector and aviation were my main fields, and my exposes in these areas have had an impact on national policy making. More recently, I am known for writing bold stories about sensitive institutions like the apex court and the armed forces. Exposing the role of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency in Pakistani politics landed me in trouble, but intervention at a very high level by leaders of the national press forced the state apparatus to take a step back. Presently, regional issues including the political situations in Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East are my focus. [Editor's note: While the world's media was still obsessed with the ruins of the World Trade Center, Saleem was putting the story into context: US courts Muslim backlash (Sept 12, 2001) and Osama bin Laden: Myths and reality (Sept 14, 2001)
Some of our senior writers


Indeed a sad day for Journalism and Freedom of speech in Pakistan.

May the departed soul rest in eternal peace and tranquillity, amin.

May Almighty show mercy upon my dear countrymen. Probably he was a target of anti state terrorist elements, whom he was going to unearth! Probably the militants got him before he could get safety of our security forces...

Our relevant organizations and their officers are trying hard for betterment of the nation to keep country intact on the globe and they are doing very hard, day and night, for the prosperity of my beloved country. May the intelligence agencies work hard for the safety, security, integrity, harmony and goodness of their brethren and work on the leads given by such industrious journalists, to nab the culprits. .. . ! ! !

After going through the news channels I just came online to add two words (name of a person) at this thread http://www.cssforum.com.pk/general/d...tml#post311473, but found it closed. Nevertheless, am going to mention those two words here, 'Saleem Shehzad'. A food for thought, for those who can understand. .. May Allah save our country men from blessings of its own power.

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'Thee woh ik shakhs kay tasawar saay - abb woh ranayee khayal kahaan'

likhtay rahay janoo ki hakayat e khoon chakan
her chand is main hath hamaray qalam hoye

They say "The deadliest country to be a journalist in just got deadlier." So sad. May Allah bless his soul.

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He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

may his soul rest in peace.

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ALL is WELL

ALLAH osay maghferat Aatta farmayee Ameen...

جس خبر کا کوئی خاص ردعمل نہیں آتا تو اس کا مطلب ہے کہ اٹھا لیا جاتا ہے
?BBC Urdu? - ????????? - ?’?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??‘?

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

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"I strictly disagree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it untill my death"