Former Pakistani PM Bhutto assassinated

Moriarty · 27-12-2007 3:03pm #1

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/1227/breaking16.htm
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1227/pakistan.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=504732&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161590.stm

BBC wrote:

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a presumed suicide attack, a military spokesman has announced on TV.

Earlier reports said Ms Bhutto had only been injured and taken to hospital.

Ms Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally in the town of Rawalpindi when the bomb went off.

At least 15 other people are reported killed in the attack and several more were injured. Ms Bhutto had twice been the country's prime minister.

She was campaigning ahead of elections due in January.

'She expired'

The explosion occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking.

Scene from the blast
The blast caused carnage at the rally

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Ms Bhutto was safe. But later he told the BBC that Ms Bhutto had died.

Another member of the PPP, Wasif Ali Khan, told the Associated Press news agency from the Rawalpindi General Hospital: "At 6:16 pm (1316 GMT) she expired."

Ms Bhutto returned from self-imposed exile in October after years out of Pakistan where she had faced corruption charges.

Her return was the result of a power-sharing agreement with President Musharraf in which he granted an amnesty that covered the court cases she was facing.

Since her return relations with Mr Musharraf have broken down.

On the day of her return she led a motor cavalcade through the city of Karachi. It was hit by a double suicide attack that left some 130 dead.

The PPP has the largest support in the country.

Earlier on Thursday at least four people were killed ahead of an election rally that Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.

Just what Pakistan needed to make it that bit more unstable. I wonder if the elections scheduled for January 8th are going to be called off now?

nacho libre · 27-12-2007 4:04pm

Would rogue ISI people be responsible for this?

InFront · 27-12-2007 4:07pm

Obviously the use of violence in politics is always a tragedy, moreso for those who are left behind than for those who are killed, because the dead have no such worries.
This is a tragedy for Pakistan and is just another sign that madness prevails in the politics of that country. The murder of any political leader commanding popular support is lamentable, though I am far from convinced that Bhutto's motivations were ever sound, or that she would have been a capable leader for Pakistanis.

If any good can come from this event, maybe the people will consolidate and get behind the strategies that are in the best interests of the country as a whole, and finally get about to constructing the true Pakistan.
More likeley however, is that Sharif will saunter into office, Bhutto will become an inadvertant hero, and things will stay as bad as ever they were.

mike65 · 27-12-2007 4:15pm

The moment she set foot back in Pakistan her fate was pretty much sealed. It could have happened any time and indeed nearly did in October.

Nothing will ever change when the first reaction is

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

Mike.

Hitchhiker's Guide to... · 27-12-2007 4:17pm

good to know that Pakistan is one of the US allies in the war on terror

she was assasinated in one of the most secure cities in Pakistan, making it more likely that it was ordered from the top.

Orion · 27-12-2007 4:26pm

mike65 nailed it on the head. Martyrs imply a religious cause. And religion and politics simply don't mix. There will be retaliatory attacks now and Musharraf will have no problem declaring a state of emergency again. Bye Bye elections!

wes · 27-12-2007 4:34pm

nacho libre wrote: »

Would rogue ISI people be responsible for this?

Get rid of the word "rogue" and I think you have hit the nail on the head.

Manic Moran · 27-12-2007 6:02pm

Macros42 wrote: »

Bye Bye elections!

Bhutto's party are demanding that the elections be postponed. Reasonably enough, their candidate is gone, and they need someone else to start up a campaign and gather steam.

The finger could be pointed at almost anyone. Musharraf is an obvious candidate, but it would probably just have been safer for him to rig the election. Taliban/Al Quaeda are also obvious candidates: This is going to do an outstanding job of diverting Pakistan's attention in towards itself and away from Afghanistan/the NorthWest. Or it could have been something as ridiculous as a spurned lover who decided to conduct an assasination in order to try to impress a woman. That wouldn't have been the first time that sort of thing happened, Reagan anyone? (I doubt it was in this case, but you never know: Private indivudals do things for many different reasons without approval from organisations, and are the hardest to stop as there is no organisation for intelligence agencies to glean information from)

NTM

Sierra Oscar · 27-12-2007 7:33pm

An absolute disgrace, terrible news.

moe_sizlak · 27-12-2007 9:18pm

its one thing al qaeeda tollerating a secular male millitary dictator

they were never going to allow a female secular progressive democraticically elected leader

my guess is musharraff allowed her security to be lax and thus let the islamic fundies have there way , gives him an excuse to limit freedoms again and in turn remain in power

ejmaztec · 27-12-2007 9:53pm

I hope that they're taking better care of their nuclear button:eek:

Mr.Micro · 27-12-2007 9:57pm

I think one has to look at her political opponents. We have seen how Musharraf behaved in recent times and his like many other politicians addiction to power at the cost of democracy. I agree with a previous poster that it will give Musharraf an excuse to bring back the state of emergency. Mrs.Bhutto was a real threat to her political rivals despite her flaws and clearly was probably destined to win the election. It is a tragedy and will further delay any move towards a stable democracy.

moe_sizlak · 27-12-2007 10:00pm

just thought id say , she was a very beautiful lady , really striking

MrJoeSoap · 27-12-2007 10:08pm

mike65 wrote: »

The moment she set foot back in Pakistan her fate was pretty much sealed. It could have happened any time and indeed nearly did in October.

Nothing will ever change when the first reaction is

Mike.

Exactly. She was foolish to return in the first place it has to be said. If it's clear to me sitting here in Dublin that her days were numbered, it must have been clear to her.

Essey · 27-12-2007 10:53pm

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Exactly. She was foolish to return in the first place it has to be said. If it's clear to me sitting here in Dublin that her days were numbered, it must have been clear to her.

And you feel she should have just "rolled over" and let people who solve solutions by killing rule the day? In my opinion she wasnt "foolish" but rather very brave, while yet flawed. Someone needs to start making a stand here and I applaud her courage.

wes · 27-12-2007 10:56pm

Essey wrote: »

And you feel she should have just "rolled over" and let people who solve solutions by killing rule the day? In my opinion she wasnt "foolish" but rather very brave, while yet flawed. Someone needs to start making a stand here and I applaud her courage.

I second this sentiment. Hopefully she will have inspired others in Pakistan to stand up to the militants.

MrJoeSoap · 27-12-2007 10:57pm

Essey wrote: »

And you feel she should have just "rolled over" and let people who solve solutions by killing rule the day?

Well, she's dead now so I'd have to say yes...

But then again, I don't believe in an afterlife so I may view things differently.

unkel · 28-12-2007 2:08am

Very sad news. I was expecting it to happen but at the same time hoping it wouldn't. She was an exceptionally brave woman to return to Pakistan for the elections

Manic Moran wrote: »

The finger could be pointed at almost anyone

Well yes. But the actual killer was one of them simpleton brainwashed imbecile suicide bombers

/sorry for rant

tallus · 28-12-2007 11:13am

Al Queda have claimed responsibility according to skynews.
I hope it turns the people of pakistan against them.
A tragedy that she had to die.

A Dub in Glasgo · 28-12-2007 11:22am

I thought she was lambasted a couple of years ago for defrauding the Pakistani people out of Billions?

mike65 · 28-12-2007 12:50pm

Bhutto wasn't a secular political saint, though she was proberly the best deal going for the country. Yes she was found guily in Switzerland of money-laundering, her husband was jailed for 8 years in Pakistan on fraud.

Someone who knew her since Oxford said that she had an obsession to regain power and "restore" the name of her father who was executed after the 1977 coup so she went back.

Mike.

djpbarry · 28-12-2007 5:29pm

Manic Moran wrote: »

Musharraf is an obvious candidate, but it would probably just have been safer for him to rig the election.

Agreed. It's highly unlikely Musharraf assisted the very militants he so openly opposes and besides, the assassination puts him in a very difficult position.

moe_sizlak wrote: »

its one thing al qaeeda tollerating a secular male millitary dictator

they were never going to allow a female secular progressive democraticically elected leader

What was so "progressive" about her? I think it was her political views that got her killed, rather than her sex.

tallus wrote: »

I hope it turns the people of pakistan against them.

You think (most) Pakistanis support Al Qaeda?

nacho libre · 28-12-2007 6:37pm

djpbarry wrote: »

Agreed. It's highly unlikely Musharraf assisted the very militants he so openly opposes and besides, the assassination puts him in a very difficult position.

What was so "progressive" about her? I think it was her political views that got her killed, rather than her sex.

i think it was a combination of both. the taliban, sections of the isi, al-qaeda, and other militant islamic groups aren't too fond of women assuming a senior role/a position of authority in muslim society. of course her political views didn't sit well with the military,who are loyal to musharraf, but it would not be of benefit to him or them to sanction her killing. if they wanted her out of the way there was easier ways to do it like rigging the election.

Dave! · 28-12-2007 6:46pm

Sky News saying that 10 train stations have been burned, a bunch of banks ran-sacked, and the police have fired on some protestors... Straight after it was announced Bhutton was dead, her supporters set fire to the hospital.

Pakistanis really need to learn a better way to channel their anger...

edanto · 28-12-2007 7:05pm

Who would benefit from her assasination?

Al-Queda/Taliban - how would it benefit them?

Same question about Musharraf?

Any other players? Any european or american interests in pakistan?

djpbarry · 28-12-2007 7:35pm

DaveMcG wrote: »

Pakistanis really need to learn a better way to channel their anger...

Let's not start generalising...

SpAcEd OuT · 28-12-2007 7:49pm

edanto wrote: »

Any other players? Any european or american interests in pakistan?

America wanted her in power as she was going to allow them to interrogate Dr AQ Kahn..... maybe she was killed by a certain rogue state that didn't want America knowing...what they had or knew... I'm not pointing fingers [IRAN]

The_Minister · 28-12-2007 9:03pm

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85627&comment_limit=0&condense_comments=false#comment216455
Indymedia's take on this. Read the comments. I don't know whether to feel sick or violent.

A Dub in Glasgo · 28-12-2007 9:06pm

You feel violent because somebody posted something on the internet?

The_Minister · 28-12-2007 9:14pm

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

You feel violent because somebody posted something on the internet?

Hyperbole. Some of the comments are gone, but they are basically celebrating this.

Essey · 28-12-2007 9:44pm

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Well, she's dead now so I'd have to say yes...

But then again, I don't believe in an afterlife so I may view things differently.

Doesnt sound like you believe in legacies either.

Former Pakistani PM Bhutto assassinated

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