Who was Zia ul-Haq?

[ck4829]

Pakistan did everything it could to protect Benazir Bhutto on her homecoming, a top government official insisted Saturday, dismissing accusations that officials may have been complicit in the attack that she escaped but left at least 136 other people dead.

...

The list of people who could have targeted the pro-Western leader is long. Bhutto blamed remnants of the regime of former military leader Gen. Zia ul-Haq allegedly complicit in her father's execution. Islamic extremists could also be bent on stopping a female political leader from modernizing Pakistan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_on_re_as/pakistan

Involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War

After succeeding Jimmy Carter in 1980, Ronald Reagan became the new President of the United States of America. Reagan was completely against the Soviet Union and its Communist satellites, dubbing it "the Evil Empire". Reagan now increased financial aid heading for Pakistan. Then, in 1981, the Reagan Administration sent the first of forty F-16 jet fighters to the Pakistanis. But the Soviets kept control of the Afghan skies until the Mujahideen received Stinger missiles in 1986. From that moment on, the Mujahideen's strategic position steadily improved. Accordingly, the Soviets declared a policy of national reconciliation. In January they announced that a Soviet withdrawal was no longer linked to the makeup of the Afghan government remaining behind. Pakistan, therefore, played a large part in the eventual withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1988.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Zia-ul-Haq#The_Soviet_invasion_of_Afghanistan

And his strange death in 1988, although it is said he died in a 'plane crash', this is not true. He did die in a plane, but it did not crash, it exploded while still in the air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Zia-ul-Haq#The_August_17_air_crash

[Beerboy]

1. I'll go with one of America's dictators for $500!

Wasn't he the predecessor of some other Pakistani dictator who we ordered to kill a whole bunch of people, just to see if it really works?
He's just another governor of the fascist American 4th Reich.

[malaise]

2. I'll up that to $2,000 Alex

Zia was killed in a famous plane crash with the American ambassador.