Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack (Updated 11:50 p.m.)
The death of the charismatic former prime minister threw the campaign for the January 8 election into chaos and created fears of mass protests and an eruption of violence across the volatile south Asian nation.
Suspicion was likely to fall on resurgent Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban who hated Bhutto for her close ties to the Americans and support for the war on terror. A local Taliban leader reportedly threatened to greet Bhutto’s return to the country in October with suicide bombings.
It left a void at the top of her Pakistan People’s Party, the largest political group in the country. It also threw into turmoil US President George W. Bush’s plan to bring stability to this key US ally by reconciling her and President Pervez Musharraf.
Shortly after Bhutto’s death, Musharraf convened an emergency meeting with his senior staff, where they were expected to discuss whether to postpone the election, an official at the Interior Ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
Next to Musharraf, Bhutto, 54, was the best known political figure in the country, serving two terms as prime minister between 1988 and 1996. She was respected in the West for her liberal outlook and determination to combat the spread of Islamic extremism, a theme she returned to often in her campaign speeches.
As news of her death spread, supporters at the hospital in Rawalpindi smashed glass doors and stoned cars. Many chanted slogans against Musharraf, accusing him of complicity in her killing.
Angry supporters also took to the streets in the northwestern city of Peshawar as well other areas, chanting slogans against Musharraf. In Rawalpindi, the site of the attack, Bhutto’s supporters burned election posters from the ruling party and attacked police, who fled from the scene.
In Karachi, shop owners quickly closed their businesses as supporters from Bhutto’s party burned tires on the roads.
Nawaz Sharif, another former premier and leader of a rival opposition party, rushed to the hospital and addressed the crowd.
“Benazir Bhutto was also my sister, and I will be with you to take the revenge for her death,” he said. “Don’t feel alone. I am with you. We will take the revenge on the rulers.”
Speaking to the BBC, Sharif also questioned whether to hold the elections.
“I think perhaps none of us is inclined to think of the elections,” he said. “We would have to sit down and take a very serious look at the current situation together with the People’s Party and see what we have to do in the coming days.”
The attacker struck just minutes after Bhutto addressed a rally of thousands of supporters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. There were conflicting accounts over the sequence of events.
Rehman Malik, Bhutto’s security adviser, said she was shot in the neck and chest by the attacker, who then blew himself up.
But Javed Iqbal Cheema, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told state-run Pakistan Television that Bhutto died when a suicide bomber struck her vehicle. At least 20 others were killed in the blast, an Associated Press reporter at the scene saw.
Bhutto was rushed to the hospital and taken into emergency surgery.
“At 6:16 p.m. she expired,” said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto’s party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital.
Sen. Babar Awan, Bhutto’s lawyer, said, “The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred.”
Bhutto’s supporters at the hospital exploded in anger, smashing the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit. Others burst into tears. One man with a flag of Pakistan People’s Party tied around his head was beating his chest.
“I saw her with my own eyes sitting in a vehicle after addressing the rally. Then, I heard an explosion,” said Tahir Mahmood, 55, as she sobbed. “I am in shock. I cannot believe that she is dead,” he said.
Some at the hospital began chanting, “Killer, Killer, Musharraf,” referring to Musharraf, Bhutto’s main political opponent. A few began stoning cars outside.
“We repeatedly informed the government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers, but they paid no heed to our requests,” Malik said.
US officials said they were looking into reports of Bhutto’s death.
“Certainly, we condemn the attack on this rally. It demonstrates that there are still those in Pakistan who want to subvert reconciliation and efforts to advance democracy,” said deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey.
The United States has for months been encouraging Musharraf to reach some kind of political accommodation with the opposition, particular Bhutto, who is seen as having a wide base of support here.
Bhutto had returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile on October 18. Her homecoming parade in Karachi was also targeted by a suicide attacker, killing more than 140 people. On that occasion she narrowly escaped injury.
Bhutto was killed just a few kilometers (miles) from the scene of her father’s violent death 28 years earlier. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former prime minister and the founder of the party that his daughter would later lead, was executed by hanging in 1979 in Rawalpindi on charges of conspiracy to murder that supporters said was politically motivated by the then-military regime. His killing led to violent protests across the country.
As Bhutto addressed the rally Thursday, she was flanked by a massive picture of her father.
Minutes later, the area was awash in blood.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene could see body parts and flesh scattered at the back gate of the Liaqat Bagh park where Bhutto had spoken. He counted about 20 bodies, including police, and could see many other wounded people.
Party supporter Chaudry Mohammed Nazir said that two gunshots rang out when Bhutto’s vehicle pulled into the main street and then there was a big blast next to her car.
Police cordoned off the street with white and red tape, and rescue workers rushed to put victims in ambulances as people wailed nearby.
The clothing of some of the victims was shredded and people put party flags over their bodies. Police caps and shoes littered the asphalt.
On Thursday, hundreds of riot police had manned security checkpoints to guard the venue. It was Bhutto’s first public meeting in Rawalpindi since she came back to the country.
In November, Bhutto had also planned a rally in the city, but Musharraf forced her to cancel it, citing security fears.
In recent weeks, suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted security forces in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital where Musharraf stays and the Pakistan army has its headquarters. (AP)
this is not right that what happened with benazir it is all wrong it is not good news for our country
it is really horrible when you hear or read this kind of news, knowing that pakistan is still on its very fragile situation something could happen on an instance that would further trigger chaos in pakistan probably more bloods to flow and more bodies (innocents, criminals) be lost on this tragic event. democracy is not attainable at this stage. perhaps, international communities should lend their hands to help this inevitable uprising to avoid eventual losses, let’s help preserve the right to live peacefully. it is with utmost respect that we should be considerate on what we believe and what we are fighting for as long as we aim for the good of every individual and for the long awaited democracy of pakistani people, we should not resort to this meaningless killing…for the killers it is something you have to ponder upon! we cannot resolve any problem by ending/annihilating one’s life! what you are fighting (extremists)is for your own selfish motive and an ABSURD IDEALISM. assalamu’alaikum. God bless. Peace be on earth and in our hearts.