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Benazir got threatening calls from Musharraf, says US journalist

Islamabad - American journalist Mark Siegel recorded his statement before Justice Rai Mohammed Ayub of the special anti-terrorism court of Rawalpindi.

Days before she travelled to Pakistan, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto received threatening phone calls from the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf, warning her of threats to her life should she choose to return before the 2008 elections, American journalist Mark Siegel said in his testimony on Thursday.
Siegel recorded his statement before Justice Rai Mohammed Ayub of the special anti-terrorism court of Rawalpindi in the Benazir murder case via video link from the Pakistan embassy in Washington on Thursday. Previously, Siegel had refused to come to Pakistan to testify before the court for security reason.
Siegel testified that Benazir had visited the US on September 25, 2007, along with her husband Asif Ali Zardari. Being their lobbyist and author of a book on Benazir, he accompanied the couple to a joint meeting with US Senator Tom Lantos, who was chairman of the US House Committee on International Relations. While waiting for the senator in his office, Benazir got a phone call. She told Siegel that it was from Musharraf, upon which the journalist sought private chambers for Benazir from their host.
Benazir returned after six to seven minutes looking perturbed. She later told him how Musharraf was speaking harshly, in an angry and menacing tone. Siegel recalled that he had phoned Benazir to enquire about her health following the October 18 attack on her convoy in Karachi. The former premier then sent him an email on October 26 wherein she said that should something happen to her, Musharraf should be held responsible.
Upon receiving this email, Siegel said he immediately contacted Benazir and asked why she had written that email. She explained that her life was in danger and asked him to disclose the email to the world should something happen to her.
He forwarded the email to a senior CNN correspondent who immediately called him about it. Siegel told him that he was now entrusting the CNN correspondent to make it public should anything happen to Benazir.
During the testimony, Siegel at one stage broke down and resumed the statement after a while.
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