Pakistani reporter murder: Whodunnit and why

GlobalPost
The World

It's hard to imagine why anybody would murder a reporter for information that has already come to light — especially information, like the murky ties between Pakistan's spy agency and terrorist groups, which is basically common knowledge.  But the torture and killing of Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad has Indian newspapers looking to his recently published book and previous articles for answers, even as calls mount for an inquiry into his death.

According to the Times of India, Shahzad's recent book alleges that Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) scripted the Mumbai attack and obtained approval of the plan from leaders in Al Qaeda before the operation was turned over to Lashkar-e-Taiba.  

Given the timing of Shahzad's killing, which followed the publication of part one of a two-part article related to the recent attack on a Karachi base by terrorists, speculation is rife that his murder may have been an attempt to make sure that part two never appeared, reports the Independent.  But Shahzad's editor at Asia Times Online said there were no stop-the-presses revelations in part two, which was in the process of revisions.

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