WikiLeaks has revealed that the US embassy in Islamabad had refused to provide security to former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto months before her assassination in December 2008 despite her personal requests to US Congressmen.

Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto. Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto.

It is no secret that Bhutto faced threat from extremist forces including the Taliban. In fact her very return to Pakistan on Oct 18, 2007 was marked by bloodshed when a suicide attack on her motorcade at Karachi killed 140 people mostly her supporters and PPP activists.

Bhutto survived that attack but it was obvious that she was the target.

Subsequently the PPP president did not trust the state apparatus as she thought that it was hand in glove with the Taliban.

This was much before Abbottabad and 26/ 11 and Washington had then refused to acknowledge any link between Pak authorities, Taliban and al-Qaeda.

WikiLeaks also revealed that several US Embassy cables between Oct and Dec 2007 reflect Bhutto's concerns and her attempts to impress upon the US authorities particularly the then ambassador at Islamabad, Anne W. Patterson the need to provide her physical security in the run up to the elections.

According to a cable dated Oct 29, 2007 Bhutto in a meeting with Patterson expressed her angst over the probe by the Musharraf government into the Oct 18 attack.

She claimed that as authorities were involved in the attack and that they cannot be trusted with the probe. But Patterson disagreed.

Yet another cable dated Oct 23, 2007 also reflects Washington's unwillingness to meet Bhutto's request.