Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

**CountArach** · 12-27-2007, 22:50

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...28/2128035.htm

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the city of Rawalpindi, her party said.

"She has been martyred," party official Rehman Malik said.

Ms Bhutto, 54, died in hospital in Rawalpindi. Ary-One Television said she had been shot in the head.

Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Ms Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up.

"The man first fired at Bhutto's vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up," police officer Mohammad Shahid said.

Police said 16 people had been killed in the blast. Earlier, party officials said Ms Bhutto was safe.

A Reuters witness said he saw about eight bodies on a road.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said initial reports suggested it was a suicide bombing and more than 10 people had been killed.

A suicide bomber killed nearly 150 people in an attack on Ms Bhutto on October 18 as she paraded through the southern city of Karachi after returning home from eight years in self-imposed exile.

Earlier, gunmen opened fire on supporters of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, from an office of the party that supports President Pervez Musharraf, killing four Sharif supporters, police said.

Mr Sharif was several kilometres away from the shooting and was on his way to Rawalpindi after attending a rally.

Mr Sharif, who was overthrown by Mr Musharraf in a 1999 coup and allowed back into the country just last month after seven years in exile, blamed supporters of the pro-Musharraf party for the violence.

But a spokesman for the party denied that its workers were involved.

The shooting occurred near an office of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Q).

"Somebody from inside the election office opened fire," senior police official Shahid Nadeem Baloch said.

"But I can't say they were Q [pro-Musharraf party] people. It's an election office and lots of people sit there during election time."

The United States has condemned the bombing attack in Pakistan that reportedly claimed the life of Ms Bhutto.

Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey could not confirm that Ms Bhutto had been killed in the bombing.

"We obviously condemn the attack that shows that there are people out there who are trying to disrupt the building of democracy in Pakistan," he said.

Another step towards an even worse Dictatorship...

**Marshal Murat** · 12-27-2007, 22:54

I think this is a turning point for a brighter future. With the popular support, and the correct turn of phrase, a couple show trials and all, Musharraf can destroy Taliban forces in the North-West province, unite the country, and bring peace to his country.

**discovery1** · 12-27-2007, 23:10

Yeah, as strange as this may seem, this seems like it may actually be enough to rally the Pakistani public against extremists. I hope....

**Myrddraal** · 12-27-2007, 23:58

Even when the extreemists are government supporters?

I'm not so sure.

**Marshal Murat** · 12-28-2007, 00:11

Then the government needs to be handed over to more peaceful and responsible people.

**CountArach** · 12-28-2007, 00:22

Originally Posted by Marshal Murat

Then the government needs to be handed over to more peaceful and responsible people.

You do realise that their only real chance of that was just killed, don't you? There is now no chance of a Democracy and hence no chance of unity amongst the Pakistanis. Bhutto, in my mind, was the only person who could have led them away from the path they are now taking and hence the only one who could unite them against Muslim Fanaticism.

**Vladimir** · 12-28-2007, 22:03

Now all THREE bullets missed her and the shockwave from the blast caused her to hit her head and die.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20...742858-ap.html

I have no idea what CNews is.

**FactionHeir** · 12-28-2007, 22:03

Isn't that what I posted earlier?

**CountArach** · 12-29-2007, 02:10

According to this it was the "Pakistan interior ministry" who is claiming that she hit her head and died. I would hardly call them a reliable source.

I was going to reply to the comments about Religious Fundamentalism, but it seem that Tribesman beat me to it, so I shall simply say that I agree with his points.

**Seamus Fermanagh** · 12-29-2007, 03:28

The specific cause of her death is rather immaterial.

Whether she was shot, killed outright by blast effect, had her head slammed against a sharp object by the force of the blast, or hit her head ducking it back into the car to avoid the assassin's shots, she was still killed in the assassination.

**PanzerJaeger** · 12-29-2007, 05:44

This is yet another example of muslim politics.

In the islamic world, its not the politician with the best ideas or the most popularity that wins, its the candidate that survives the other candidate's assassins, kills his opponents first, or manages to suppress his rivals in a violent military coup. Is it really about to be 2008 in Pakistan?

Poor woman must have spent too long in the civilized world and forgotten where the ____ she was going.