Operation Midnight Jackal

Operation Midnight Jackal was a covert-intelligence operation that was reported as one of high profile political scandal during the first government of Prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989. The Midnight Jackal was exposed by "IB" when it had obtained a conversation of two active-duty army officers of ISI to topple down the government.

The tape exposed the conversation of army officers who were dis-satisfied with corruption charges on the government of Benazir Bhutto. They had found evidence of her husband Asif Ali Zardari's involvement in corruption cases regarding the government. The investigators had found several instances where Zardari had been implicated to take commission on government contracts. (This is how Zardari was awarded the nick-name "Mr. 10%" in early 1990's.

The military investigators and military lawyers of prosecution revealed that Major Amir Khan, one of the key military officials plotting a coup against the corrupt government, was the architect of the Midnight Jackal, under the auspicious of Brigadier-General Ahmed. The military lawyers also reported that the objectives of the Midnight Jackal were to support Nawaz Sharif as the establishment was said to have preferred Sharif as a country's Prime minister. Major Amir Khan told his military lawyers that: "Nawaz Sharif was more acceptable to the [Pakistan] Army than Benazir Bhutto." He further said, "The military believes that in the current circumstances there is no option, but to support Nawaz Sharif as we don't have other viable option."

This operation "Mid-night Jackal" was headed by Masood Khattak who is a close-friend of Benazir Bhutto's family. She had full trust on Mr. Khattak's competent intelligence skills who was widely known as Major Khan in the armed forces. Masood Khattak also went to high school with Asif Zardari in Cadet College Petaro. Apart from sharing the same high school they also shared similar political interests at the time in early 1990's which is evident by the fact of Masood's high profile involvement in Midnight Jackal against the army.

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