Pakistan faces horror of civil war after Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in suicide attack
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pakistan faces horror of civil war after Benazir Bhutto is assassinated
in suicide attack*
By Isambard Wilkinson, Pakistan Correspondent, Richard Edwards and David
Blair
Last Updated: 2:37am GMT 28/12/2007
Pakistan was facing the spectre of civil war last night after Benazir
Bhutto, the former prime minister, was assassinated in a suicide attack.
The nuclear-armed state faced its worst political crisis in decades,
which could threaten President Pervez Musharraf's grip on power and his
role in the US-led war on terrorism.
Benazir Bhutto addresses rally before her death
Miss Bhutto, 54, an iconic politician who had twice served as prime
minister, was killed as she left an election rally in the city of
Rawalpindi.
Witnesses described how a man opened fire on Miss Bhutto as she stood
through the sunroof of a car, hitting her in the throat and chest.
Seconds later, he detonated a bomb, leaving Miss Bhutto critically
injured and dozens of her followers killed or wounded. Police said that
16 others died in the blast.
The former prime minister was taken to Rawalpindi General Hospital but
had died within an hour. Her funeral is expected to attract thousands of
mourners in her home town of Larkana today.
Mr Musharraf called on the country to stay peaceful "so that the evil
designs of terrorists can be defeated".
Pakistan was put on "red alert" amid reports that the regime would
declare emergency rule and postpone the elections.
Mr Musharraf chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials "to
consider all aspects of the tragic national incident".
George Bush reacts to news of the assassination
Bush condemns assassination
President George W Bush denounced a "cowardly act by murderous
extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy".
He added: "We stand with the people of Pakistan in their struggle
against the forces of terror and extremism. We urge them to honour
Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for
which she so bravely gave her life."
Gordon Brown called Miss Bhutto a "woman of immense personal courage and
bravery". The Prime Minister added: "She risked everything in her
attempt to win democracy in Pakistan and she has been assassinated by
cowards afraid of democracy."
The reaction of Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister of Pakistan
and once Miss Bhutto's deadly rival, heralded more political turmoil. He
hounded Miss Bhutto out of the country after defeating her in the 1996
elections but called her "my sister" yesterday and said her death was
the "saddest day in the history of Pakistan".
Gordon Brown reacts to news of the assassination
Gordon Brown: A tragic hour
He told supporters of her Pakistan People's Party: "I will be with you
to take the revenge for her death. Don't feel alone. I am with you. We
will take the revenge on the rulers."
Many of Miss Bhutto's supporters blamed Pakistan's regime for her murder
and Mr Sharif, who is now Mr Musharraf's most prominent opponent,
signalled that he intended to mobilise this anger behind a campaign to
remove the president.
He said the president must resign to "save" the country. "I demand that
Musharraf quit power, without delay of a single day, to save Pakistan,"
he said.
"There will be a total strike tomorrow," he added. "Every Pakistani is
shocked. Whoever joins this strike will display solidarity with the
country."
Riaz Malik, of the opposition Pakistan Movement for Justice party,
warned: "The impact will be that Pakistan is in more turmoil. There is a
very real danger of civil war in Pakistan."
As news of Miss Bhutto's death spread, supporters at the hospital in
Rawalpindi smashed glass doors and stoned cars. Many chanted slogans
against Mr Musharraf.
Riots spread across the major cities of Pakistan, with police confirming
that four people had been shot dead - two in the eastern city of Lahore,
where sporadic gunfire echoed around the streets, and two in the
southern province of Sindh, Bhutto's birthplace and stronghold.
Benazir Bhutto addresses rally before her death
Nawaz Sharif: serious situation
In Karachi, at least 70 vehicles were set on fire by protesters and two
police officers were wounded by gunfire. Protesters burned tyres on the
roads and a petrol station was burned down.
A curfew was imposed in the north-western valley of Swat, which has been
troubled by months of religious militancy.
Police used tear gas and batons to break up a demonstration in Peshawar,
where a police station was pelted with stones and billboards supporting
Mr Musharraf were burned down.
In the town of Tando Jam, passengers on a train were forced to flee as
it was set on fire.
Miss Bhutto's supporters targeted state-run grocery stores and banks
throughout the country. Some set fire to election offices for the ruling
party, according to Pakistani media.
Akhtar Zamin, the home minister for the southern Sindh province, said
authorities would deploy troops to stop violence if needed.
Miss Bhutto had given an election rally to thousands of supporters in
Liaqat Bagh park in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
It was her first public meeting in the city since her return from exile
and hundreds of riot police manned security checkpoints outside.
She addressed the crowds flanked by a massive picture of her father,
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was Pakistan's first popularly-elected prime
minister. He was hanged in Rawalpindi in 1979 after being deposed in a
military coup.
As the rally finished, images captured her being mobbed by wellwishers
as she waved from a vehicle.
To great cheers, Miss Bhutto stood up through the sunroof, as she had
been seen to do in previous weeks to greet the crowds. The last picture
of the opposition leader shows her wearing garlands of flowers, and
spreading her arms wide to wave at her supporters.
Seconds later, the joyous scene became a massacre.
Sardar Qamar Hayyat, a leader from Miss Bhutto's party, was about 10
yards away.
"I saw a smiling Bhutto emerging from the vehicle's roof," he said.
"Then I saw a thin, young man jumping toward her vehicle from the back
and opening fire."
Two shots hit Miss Bhutto in the neck and the shoulder. She ducked back
into the vehicle, which began to speed away, but her attacker then
detonated a bomb, killing himself and those around.
The device was believed to have been packed with lead pellets. Flames
engulfed the scene and debris was scattered over a wide area.
A reporter at the scene said he saw bodies scattered at the back gate of
the park. He counted about 20, including police, and could see many
other wounded. The clothing of some of the victims was shredded and
people put party flags over their bodies.
Many of those killed were believed to have been security officers.
Police caps and shoes littered the asphalt.
Miss Bhutto underwent emergency surgery at Rawalpindi General Hospital.
"At 6.16pm she expired," said Wasif Ali Khan, a member her party.
Rehman Malik, another party official, said: "She has been martyred."
A doctor on the team that attended to her said the main cause of death
was a bullet that entered the back of her neck and damaged her spinal
cord before exiting the side of her head. Another bullet pierced the
back of her shoulder and came out through her chest.