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NewsScope, October 23, 2007. On October 17, Benazir Bhutto's return from exile was shattered by devastating suicide-bomb attacks, putting into question whether Pakistan will soon be overcome by Islamic extremists. Although Bhutto survived, over 130 were killed and 500 injured. The attack was on what I represent," said Bhutto the next day. "The attack was on democracy and the very unity and integrity of Pakistan."
its exact opposition in January, which is when the elections are scheduled. Under this influence, ongoing – even escalating – violence can be expected, especially since a parallel set-up can be found in Pakistan's horoscope.
Pakistan (August 15, 1947; 12:00 am; Karachi) has an explosive Mars-Uranus conjunction, with Mars placed at 0º34' Cancer. When Pluto enters Capricorn in January, it will oppose Pakistan's Mars. Adding fuel to the fire is a retrograde Mars, returning to its natal position in Pakistan's chart. Bhutto has entered into a leadership-sharing arrangement with Musharraf, but under these volatile astrological conditions, their agreement will be tenuous at best.
Six months ago, transiting Neptune opposed Pakistan's Leo Sun, which manifested as a weakening of Musharraf's hold on power. Neptune returns to this key opposition point in January 2008, once again pinpointing the elections as a critical time for the nation's political development. At its best, Neptune brings hope and a vision for the future, but at its worst, it can bring chaos and anarchy.
Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal
NewsScope, July 16, 2007As Americans dither over Iraq, events in Pakistan are rapidly heating up. On July 11, army commandos launched a bloody raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad, which was being held by Islamic extremists. A few days later, Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, hiding out in North Waziristan, issued a jihad against President Musharraf, who was already under tremendous pressure following his dismissal of a popular Chief Justice.
Pakistan's horoscope accurately reflects the uncertainty around the current leadership. The Sun in Leo describes the imperial power often assumed by Pakistan's leaders. Over the past few months, transiting Saturn has been heading for the conjunction with Pakistan's Sun, which provided the celestial pressure for Musharraf to do something about Islamic extremism in his country. Neptune is in a long-term oppositon.
Musharraf came to power on October 12, 1999 in a bloodless coup, as transiting Mars was at 26º Sagittarius, opposite Pakistan's Uranus. This degree zone forms a hotspot in Pakistan's chart, which has been under siege from transiting Pluto over the last two years.
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The material here is drawn from the weekly NewsScope column. Scroll down, or click here:
Pervez Musharraf has 20º Gemini on his 7th house of partners, which is the same degree as the U.S. Mars.
An astrological profile of Pakistan and its leaders. This nuclear-armed, Islamic nation is in deep conflict and verging toward chaos.
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Pervez Musharraf's 1942 Horoscope
On April 17, 2005 Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf made an unusual state visit to India, where he was gifted with a laminated copy of his birth certificate. According to numerous media accounts, that certificate reveals that he was born on August 11, 1942, not 1943 as his official records indicate. Also, a birth time of 3:19 pm is now in circulation, and this time looks good.
This 1942 horoscope features 20º Sagittarius Rising, making Jupiter the ruler of his chart. Venus rules the Midheaven, the career point. Using just these angular elements, the coup
An unusually fateful configuration can be found with Mars conjunct the North Node and squaring Uranus. This rather harsh combination indicates a life path periodically and traumatically forced in unexpected directions due to spectacular, unforeseen events. Musharraf declared emergency rule on November 3, 2007, when transiting Saturn was exactly conjunct his Mars and Jupiter was conjunct his Ascendant (plus P2 Moon square MC, trine North Node orb 0º00', quincunx Uranus orb 0º01').
Musharraf Declares Emergency Rule
On Saturday November 3, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule by suspending the country's constitution, blacking out all independent television news, and filling the streets of Islamabad with police and military troops. The Supreme Court justices – within days of ruling on the legality of his recent election – were dismissed. Musharraf's chart
Pluto is the key planet now in Pakistan's turbulent political environment. Pluto is forming challenging aspects to Pakistan's Midheaven and Mars, Bhutto's Sun and Mars, and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Sun and Mars. Pluto
represents extremism, survival of the fittest, and willingness to use absolute force to get one's way. continued below
Benazir Bhutto, Daughter of Islam
Benazir Bhutto was often asked to explain where she got her courage, and she always attributed this to her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was Pakistan's Prime Minister from 1971 to 1977. When she was a child, her father encouraged her to set aside traditional Muslim roles for women and to have ambitions beyond the home. more
The Cauldron of Pakistan
NewsScope; January 1, 2008. The Pakistan People's Party has just selected Benazir Bhutto's husband and 19-year-old son to succeed her as co-leaders. The PPP's first action was to launch an international investigation into the cause of Ms. Bhutto's death. Meanwhile, Musharraf's government has indicated that elections will be postponed by up to four months, as violence and rioting continue across the grief-stricken nation. What lies ahead for Pakistan?
NewsScope, January 1, 2008. Pakistan's national horoscope (August 14, 1947; 9:33 am; Karachi) tells the story. Throughout 2008, Pluto will be hovering around the fourth house cusp while opposing Mars at the Midheaven, making Pakistani politics an ongoing hotspot. The next three months are particularly confrontational, since transiting Mars is also aligning within this volatile degree area. Expect increased hostilities around the militant tribal areas protecting Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
opposite his Leo Sun, when he may be forced out, perhaps by his military colleagues.
Ultimately, the resolution of Pakistan's chronic instability lies in radical reconstruction of the social fabric, a process which has actually been underway over the last few years. Pakistan's Venus-Saturn-Pluto triple conjunction describes the tight hold an elite faction of society holds over the rest of the country, which remains largely impoverished and illiterate. India, which shares this configuration, had its caste system, but is now growing a strong middle class through economic restructuring. Change is possible.
The geopoltical drama continues with some astrological perspectives below:
Benazir Bhutto, Daughter of Islam
NewsScope, January 1, 2008. Ms. Bhutto was born with her intellectual, vocal Gemini Sun conjunct courageous Mars (June 21, 1953; 7:59 pm; Karachi, Pakistan), a dynamic combination that motivated her to obtain advanced degrees at Oxford. With Capricorn Rising, Benazir's ruling planet is Saturn, which naturally assumes earthly power by its conjunction with the Midheaven. Saturn is also conjunct the Moon and Neptune, reflecting the emotional idealization of her father.
relationship with her father, as well as a popular political ideology. The Pallas-Jupiter at 10º Gemini is also conjunct Juno at 8º Gemini, perhaps describing her political partnership with him.
Zulfikar Bhutto was hanged by his political enemies on April 4, 1979, when transiting Saturn was at 8º Virgo. Saturn here was in Benazir's eighth house of death and inheritance, where it squared her Juno. Naturally, she became the next leader of her father's political party, the PPP, and was soon elected as the first woman Prime Minister in the Islamic world. She was assassinated on December 27, 2007 when Saturn was once again at 8º Virgo – exactly one Saturn cycle after her father died.
Regarding Bhutto's birth time: I wrote an article about her in 2002, which is when I researched her birth time. I found her birth time of 7:59 pm in a magazine that is now defunct, The Astrological Magazine. Unfortunately, that was three computers ago, and I no longer have the source notes with the exact issue, but it was written by the editor B.V. Raman, who I understand is not prone to rectifying charts.
< The Astrological Magazine, which was restarted in 1936 by Dr. B.V. Raman and edited by him for over 62 years, until his passing away in December 1998, is the world’s foremost and most authentic journal on Jyotisha or Hindu astrology with an international readership.>
- from www.astrologicalmagazine.com
The asteroid Pallas, often known as the Goddess of Wisdom, is specifically associated with the father-daughter relationship. In Benazir's horoscope, her Pallas conjunct philoso-phical Jupiter bestowed her with a supportive
As described recently (NewsScope; September 8, 2007), Benazir Bhutto faces powerful enemies now, since transiting Pluto is heading into an opposition with her Sun-Mars conjunction. Transiting Pluto will make
Apr 4, 1979 - father hanged
T PL squ UR
P2 MC tri UR
P2 CH opp UR
P2 MO squ MA
Dec 18, 1987 - married
Asif Ali Zardari (July 21, 1956)
P2 VE tri SA
P2 SU cnj SN
P2 Juno, Pallas cnj SU
Dec 2, 1988 - Bhutto sworn in as PM
T NE cnj AS
T PL opp VE, ruler MC
T UR opp SU
April 19, 1999 - convicted of corruption,
goes into exile
T Juno, PL opp JU, ruler 12th
P2 (PoF opp UR) squ SA
Oct 18, 2007 - return from exile after 8 years
T UR squ P2 MC
T JU cnj P2 MC
Dec 27, 2007 - assassinated
T UR squ MC
T UR squ P2 MC
T SA opp P2 AS
T PL opp SU
P2 MO cnj NE
P2 (SU cnj PL) cnj PL
As for the elections, confu-sion is bound to prevail due to a strong Neptune influ-ence. On January 8, tran-siting Neptune opposes Pakistan's Sun, while the progressed Moon and Nep-tune are conjunct. This leaves the leadership in doubt, with Musharraf (August 11, 1943) hanging onto power. However, a Solar Eclipse on February 7 happens to be exactly
Technical notes. India and Pakistan were each created as sovereign states when the British colonial power officially bowed out. Their respective horoscopes are set for August 14 and August 15, 1947 for their capitals of New Delhi and Karachi, using a variety of times.
The time of 9:33 am is rectified, based on this historical information: On August 14, 1947, Lord Louis Mount-batten, the last viceroy of British India, administered the oath of office to Mohammad Ali Jinnah as the first governor-general of Pakistan. The same evening Lord Mountbatten flew back to New Delhi, and the following day--August 15, 1947--he was sworn in as the first governorgeneral of India. Thus, within a period of just over 24 hours, the British liquidated their Indian empire.
See also Campion's The Book of World Horoscopes, especially the detailed footnote #1791, where Campion explains the times of 9:15 and 9:30 am.
Pakistan's Horoscope
August 14, 1947; 9:33 am; Karachi
Currently, general elections are scheduled for October 11, 2007. However, with transiting Uranus forming a perfect quincunx (150º aspect) to Pakistan's Venus (the ruler of the horoscope), and Mercury turning retrograde on that very date, there's a good chance the elections will be postponed.
Watch for escalating violence and pivotal events in early September, as Pluto turns direct while in Pakistan's 26º hotspot. Many observers are concerned that Islamic extremists could take over, and seize control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Pakistan's National Horoscope
NewsScope, November 12, 2007. While Pakistan's legal independence became official at midnight, August 15, 1947, it's generally celebrated on August 14. Pakistani astrologers use several birth moments (notably, midnight on the 14th), but a solid case can be made for when the British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, administered the oath of office to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor General.
Benazir Bhutto's Sun is exactly conjunct Pakistan's Midheaven at 29º Gemini, reflecting the important role she plays in Pakistan's history. She was first elected as Prime Minister on November 2, 1988 as progressive Uranus was opposite the Pakistan Midheaven (and her Sun). She was dismissed on corruption charges on August 6, 1990 as transiting Pluto squared Pakistan's Venus and opposed her own Venus.
Pakistan's horoscope features Mars conjunct the Midheaven, where its influence has shaped Pakistan's colorful history with numerous martial events and politicians. Mars here explains why the nation has so often experienced military coups d'etat and the violent end to some of its leaders.
Pervez Musharraf's coup on October 12, 1999 took place as Pakistan's progressed Midheaven was conjunct the Sun.
The exact time of Pakistan's birth is especially significant now, since tumultuous Pluto is now entering the fourth house of domestic affairs. The last time Pluto was angular was in 1971, when East Pakistan violently seceded to become Bangladesh. Pluto is associated with dictatorship and extremism, a dangerous astrological influence which Bhutto is intensely aware of, since Pluto is currently opposing her Sun. She recently warned that: "the extremists need a dictatorship, and dictatorship needs extremists."
All Nuclear Roads Lead to Pakistan
NewsScope, January 5, 2004. As investigators unravel Libya's nuclear program, a chain of middlemen and suppliers points to Pakistan as the intellectual hub of hidden nuclear proliferators. Pakistan's own nuclear program, designed to keep India's nuclear program at bay, may potentially fall into the hands of international terrorists. The major obstacle is Pakistan President Musharraf, who has been the target of two recent assassination attempts.
Pakistan's horoscope reflects a growing subversion of the national government. Pakistan's Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo represents its political institutions, which are shaped and challenged by the square to a fundamentalist Jupiter in Scorpio. Throughout 2004 transiting Neptune, the planet of secrecy and deception, will be opposing Pakistan's Saturn-Pluto, indicating a conspiratorial political environment.
Osama bin Laden and his first lieutenant, Aymen Zawahiri, are widely believed to be hiding out in North Waziristan, a mountainous region in northwest Pakistan and near the border of Afghanistan.
Pluto Enters Pakistani Politics
NewsScope, August 28, 2007. Last Thursday, the increasingly assertive Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can return from exile. The ruling puts a cloud over General Musharraf's plans to get re-elected, since the two leaders are bitter rivals. Another former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, has been in secret talks with Musharraf to share power, even though these two are also intense political foes.
when he re-gained power, he was then deposed by General Musharraf on October 12, 1999.
Benazir Bhutto was born with her Gemini Sun conjunct Mars, a combination which directly opposes Sharif's Capricorn Sun, so they are natural enemies. At the moment, Bhutto's progressed Sun is conjunct natal Pluto, reflecting her secret negotiations for power. Her progressed Moon (in the tenth house of status) is in cooperative Libra, but last week it squared Uranus, upsetting her plans.
Sharif was born with his Capricorn Sun (December 25, 1949; Lahore, Pakistan; time unknown) opposite Uranus and square Mars, a particularly violent and unstable combination for a national leader. In fact, Sharif was first deposed as Prime Minister by Bhutto on July 18, 1993, but
President Musharraf (August 11, 1942) has his Mars in Virgo square Saturn and Uranus. After Pluto turns direct, it goes on to oppose Bhutto's Sun and square Sharif's Mars, ensuring that politics in nuclear-armed Pakistan will remain intensely conflicted.
d'etat that brought him to power on October 12, 1999 now makes perfect astrological sense (namely: P2 Venus conjunct MC, P2 Jupiter conjunct Venus, and P2 Sun and Mars square Jupiter).
These extremely tight orbs indicate that we now have an accurate horoscope for Musharraf. While he seems protected in his position during January (P2 Venus square Jupiter), February is another story. The Solar Eclipse on February 7 opposes his Sun, and may very well undo him, especially since transiting Chiron also opposes his Sun while transiting Uranus is heading into a square with his Ascendant.
Jan 15, 1991 - Promoted to the
rank of Major General
T SA tri NE
T JU cnj MO
P2 VE sxt VE (ruler MC)
P2 AS opp PL
Oct 21, 1995 - promoted to the
rank of Lieutenant General
T PL sxt NE
T UR inc ME
P2 (MO cnj JU)
P2 AS tri SA
P2 MA tri SA
P2 VE cnj NE
Oct 7, 1998 - Sharif appoints him
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
T JU squ AS
T PL squ MA
T CH squ SU, CH
P2 JU cnj VE
P2 MC trioctile JU
Oct 12, 1999 - coup deposes Sharif
T PL trioctile VE, ruler MC
T NN cnj MO
P2 SU squ JU
P2 MA squ JU
P2 VE cnj MC, opp CE
P2 AS cnj Pallas
Musharraf's 1942 birthdate - Here's some technical data comparing
some of Musharraf's personal milestones with the corresponding astrological indicators. The information here helps verify the 3:19 pm birth time.
Orbs are generally tighter than 1º and are often less than 1/4 º.
Here's some technical notes to help corroborate the 7:59 pm time. Orbs are generally tighter
