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Benazir Bhutto assassinated

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday after addressing a large gathering of her supporters.

The suicide bomb attack also killed at least 22 others, doctors said. It was not immediately clear if Bhutto died from shots fired before the blast, or from wounds caused by bomb shrapnel.

Her body was removed from Rawalpindi General Hospital late Thursday night, about six hours after the assassination.

President Pervez Musharraf said the killers were the same extremists that Pakistan is fighting a war against, and announced three days of national mourning.

Video of the scene just moments before the explosion showed Bhutto stepping into a heavily guarded vehicle to leave the rally.

John Moore, a photographer for Getty Images, said he heard at least two gunshots before the bomb was detonated.

Police sources told CNN the bomber, who was riding a motorcycle, blew himself up near Bhutto’s vehicle. Watch aftermath of the attack.

Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital — less than two miles from the bombing scene — where doctors pronounced her dead.

Chaos erupted at the hospital when former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived to pay his respects to Bhutto less than three hours after her death.

Hundreds of Bhutto supporters crammed into the entrance shouted and cried, some clutching their heads in pain and shock. Sharif called it the saddest day in Pakistan’s history. Something unthinkable has happened, he said. Watch Benazir Bhutto obituary

Sharif said his party will boycott Pakistan’s January 8 parliamentary elections in the wake of the assassination.

Police warned citizens to stay home as they expected rioting to break out in city streets in reaction to the death.

Rioters burned tires and blocked roads in Karachi and other cities, police sources said. Police fired on an angry mob, killing two people, in the city of Khairpur in the Sindh province, Geo TV reported.

Bhutto’s husband issued a statement from his home in Dubai saying, All I can say is we’re devastated, it’s a total shock. President Bush said those responsible must be brought to justice and praised Bhutto as a woman who had fought the forces of terror. He said: She refused to allow assassins to dictate the course of her country.

The number of wounded was not immediately known. However, video of the scene showed ambulances lined up to take many to hospitals.

The assassination happened in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh Park, named for Pakistan’s first prime minister — Liaquat Ali Khan — who was assassinated in the same location in 1951.

The attack came just hours after four supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif died when members of another political party opened fire on them at a rally near the Islamabad airport Thursday, Pakistan police said.

Several other members of Sharif’s party were wounded, police said.

Bhutto, who led Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and was the first female prime minister of any Islamic nation, was participating in the parliamentary election set for January 8, hoping for a third term.

A terror attack targeting her motorcade in Karachi killed 136 people on the day she returned to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile. View timeline.

CNN’s Mohsin Naqvi, who was at the scene of both bombings, said Thursday’s blast was not as powerful as that October attack.

Thursday’s attacks come less than two weeks after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf lifted an emergency declaration he said was necessary to secure his country from terrorists.

Bhutto had been critical of what she believed was a lack of effort by Musharraf’s government to protect her.

Two weeks after the October assassination attempt, she wrote a commentary for CNN.com in which she questioned why Pakistan investigators refused international offers of help in finding the attackers.

The sham investigation of the October 19 massacre and the attempt by the ruling party to politically capitalize on this catastrophe are discomforting, but do not suggest any direct involvement by General Pervez Musharraf, Bhutto wrote.
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Assassination shocks, outrages U.S. presidential candidates

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Bhutto’s death heightens concern for Pakistan’s democracy

(CNN) — World leaders reacted with shock and condemnation Thursday to the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, some expressing concern about the nation’s democratic process.

The opposition leader died after a suicide bombing at a political rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi ahead of parliamentary elections set for January 8.

President Bush, vacationing at his Texas ranch, condemned the assassination as a cowardly act by murderous extremists. See Bhutto shortly before her death

Bush urged Pakistan to honor Benazir Bhutto’s memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life. Watch assassination aftermath

In Washington, the State Department also condemned the attack. It shows people are still intent on undermining democracy in Pakistan, said deputy spokesman Tom Casey.

Pakistan — which maintains nuclear weapons — has been a key ally of the United States during its war against al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, said elections would move forward as planned and called Bhutto’s death a national tragedy.

… we have lost one of our important, very important and, I would stress, liberal leaders, Durrani said.

For months, the Bush administration has been encouraging Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to work out a compromise with his political opponents, including the popular Bhutto. The former prime minister’s party is widely expected to do well in next month’s elections. See timeline

Saying he was deeply shocked, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for restraint and unity in the aftermath of the assassination in the former British colony. Bhutto knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her, Miliband said in a statement.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who knew Bhutto personally, expressed vivid emotion following the attack, said a statement from his office.

Kouchner strongly condemned this horrible act and reaffirms France’s commitment to the stability of Pakistan and its democracy, the statement said.

In India, which has long had a thorny relationship with its neighbors in Pakistan, an Indian Congress Party spokesman told the Press Trust of India, … we must express our deep concern at anything that disrupts and disturbs the even keel of democratic governance in Pakistan.

The spokesman, Abhishek Singhvi, said Indian democracy loathes violence, saying it is not only anti-democracy but also generates instability.

In Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in a statement, We hope the Pakistani government will identify and bring to justice those behind such a criminal act and restore tranquility to the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called her death a terror attack.

We strongly condemn this terrorist act, present our condolences to the family and friends of Benazir Bhutto and hope that Pakistani authorities will provide for national stability, said Russian ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly expressed concern that the Pakistani government must do its best to ensure the maximum stability in the election period and prevent terrorist acts against Benazir Bhutto and other political leaders, said the Kamynin statement.

The rally bombing took place as Bhutto campaigned for a third term as prime minister.

It was the second recent attack on Bhutto after she defied death threats and returned to her homeland from eight years of self-imposed exile. On October 18, a suicide bomber targeted her motorcade in Karachi, killing 136 people. Bhutto was unhurt in the attack.
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World leaders condemn Bhutto assassination

(CNN) — World leaders reacted with shock and condemnation Thursday to the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The opposition leader died after a suicide bombing at a rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.

I am deeply shocked by news of the latest attack in Rawalpindi which has claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto and killed at least 15 other people, said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in a written statement. Bhutto knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her.

Miliband called for restraint and unity in the former British colony. See Bhutto shortly before her death

President Bush, vacationing at his Texas ranch, has been informed about the situation in Pakistan, said the White House, which offered no other immediate comment. We condemn the acts of violence which took place today in Pakistan, said a spokesman. The president was expected to make a televised statement on the assassination at 11 a.m. ET. Watch aftermath of the deadly attack

In Washington, the State Department also condemned the attack. It shows people are still intent on undermining democracy in Pakistan, said deputy spokesman Tom Casey.

For months, the Bush administration has been encouraging Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to work out a compromise with his political opponents, including the popular Bhutto. The former prime minister’s party is widely expected to do well in next month’s elections. See timeline

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who knew Bhutto personally, expressed vivid emotion following the attack, said a statement from his office.

Kouchner strongly condemned this horrible act and reaffirms France’s commitment to the stability of Pakistan and its democracy, the statement said.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, called Bhutto’s death a national tragedy.

… we have lost one of our important, very important and, I would stress, liberal leaders, Durrani said.

In India, which has long had a thorny relationship with its neighbors in Pakistan, an Indian Congress Party spokesman told the Press Trust of India, … we must express our deep concern at anything that disrupts and disturbs the even keel of democratic governance in Pakistan.

The spokesman, Abhishek Singhvi, said Indian democracy loathes violence, saying it is not only anti-democracy but also generates instability.

In Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in a statement, We hope the Pakistani government will identify and bring to justice those behind such a criminal act and restore tranquility to the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called her death a terror attack.

We strongly condemn this terrorist act, present our condolences to the family and friends of Benazir Bhutto and hope that Pakistani authorities will provide for national stability, said Russian ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly expressed concern that the Pakistani government must do its best to ensure the maximum stability in the election period and prevent terrorist acts against Benazir Bhutto and other political leaders, said the Kamynin statement.

The rally bombing took place as Bhutto campaigned for a third term as prime minister in parliamentary elections set for January 8.

It was the second recent attack on Bhutto after she defied death threats and returned to her homeland from eight years of self-imposed exile. On October 18, a suicide bomber targeted her motorcade in Karachi, killing 136 people. Bhutto was unhurt in the attack.
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Bush administration condemns attack on Bhutto

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration scrambled Thursday with the implications of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination after investing significant diplomatic capital in promoting reconciliation between her and President Pervez Musharraf.

While awaiting formal confirmation of Bhutto’s death in an attack on an election rally, U.S. officials — who had labored to promote stability in the nuclear-armed country that has been an anti-terrorism ally — huddled to assess the impact of Bhutto’s passing just two weeks before legislative elections in the turbulent nation in which her party was expected to do well.

Certainly, we condemn the attack on this rally, said deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey. It demonstrates that there are still those in Pakistan who want to subvert reconciliation and efforts to advance democracy.

A U.S. official speaking on grounds of anonymity confirmed that Bhutto was assassinated. No person or group has claimed responsibility for her death, the official said.

In Crawford, Texas, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said that vacationing President Bush has been informed about the situation in Pakistan. He was told about it this morning during his regular briefing.

Bhutto served twice as Pakistan’s prime minister between 1988 and 1996. She had returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile 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.

The United States had been at the forefront of foreign powers trying to arrange reconciliation between Bhutto and Musharraf, who under heavy U.S. pressure resigned as army chief and earlier this month lifted a state of emergency, in the hope it would put Pakistan back on the road to democracy.

Bhutto’s return to the country after years in exile and the ability of her party to contest free and fair elections had been a cornerstone of Bush’s policy in Pakistan, where U.S. officials had watched Musharraf’s growing authoritarianism with increasing unease.

Those concerns were compounded by the rising threat from al Qaeda and Taliban extremists, particularly in Pakistan’s largely ungoverned tribal areas bordering Afghanistan despite the fact that Washington had pumped nearly $10 billion in aid into the country since Musharraf became an indispensable counter-terrorism ally after September 11, 2001.

Irritated by the situation, Congress last week imposed new restrictions on U.S. assistance to Pakistan, including tying $50 million in military aid to State Department assurances that the country is making concerted efforts to prevent terrorists from operating inside its borders.

Under the law, which provides a total of $300 million in aid to Pakistan and was signed by President Bush on Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also must guarantee Pakistan is implementing democratic reforms, including releasing political prisoners and restoring an independent judiciary.

The law also prevents any of the funds can be used for cash transfer assistance to Pakistan, but that stipulation had already been adopted by the administration.

Despite the congressional move, Richard Boucher, the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs who had been instrumental in engineering the Bhutto-Musharraf reconciliation, said he had little doubt that the administration would get the money.
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