Assassination of Benazir Bhutto: Difference between revisions
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|location=[[Liaquat National Bagh]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]] |
|location=[[Liaquat National Bagh]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]] |
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|target=[[Benazir Bhutto]] |
|target=[[Benazir Bhutto]] |
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|date=December 27, 2007 |
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The '''assassination of Benazir Bhutto''' occurred on |
The '''assassination of Benazir Bhutto''' occurred on December 27, 2007 in [[Rawalpindi]], [[Pakistan]]. [[Benazir Bhutto|Bhutto]], twice [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]] (1988–1990; 1993–1996) and then-leader of the opposition [[Pakistan Peoples Party]], had been campaigning ahead of [[Pakistani general election, 2008|elections due in January 2008]].<ref name=injury/><ref name=death>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161590.stm|title=Benazir Bhutto killed in attack|publisher=[[BBC News]]|accessdate = 2007-12-27|date=2007-12-27}}</ref> She was shot at after a political rally at [[Liaquat National Bagh]]; a [[Suicide attack|suicide bomb]] was detonated immediately following the shooting. She was declared dead at 18:16 [[Pakistan Standard Time|local time]] (13:16 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]), at [[Rawalpindi General Hospital]]. At least 23 other people were killed by the bombing.<ref name=exhumation/> Shortly after her return from exile two months earlier, she survived a [[2007 Karachi bombing|similar attempt on her life]] that killed at least 139 people. |
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Though early reports indicated that she had been hit by [[shrapnel]] or the gunshots,<ref>{{cite news|first=Munir ([[Associated Press]])|last=Ahmed|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/25/international/i120815S15.DTL|title=Pakistan: Al-Qaida Behind Bhutto Killing|publisher=''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref><ref name=cnn-death>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pakistan.bhutto/index.html|title=Benazir Bhutto assassinated|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> the Pakistani Interior Ministry initially stated that Bhutto died of a skull fracture sustained when the force of the explosion caused her head to strike the sunroof of the vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/pakistan.friday/index.html |title=Bhutto died after hitting sun roof |accessdate = 2007-12-28 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Bhutto's aides rejected this version, and argued instead that she suffered two gunshots before the bomb detonation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22983841-1702,00.html |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=Bhutto death explanation 'pack of lies' |accessdate = 2007-12-28 |publisher=''[[Herald Sun]]''}}</ref> The Interior Ministry subsequently backtracked from its previous claim.<ref>{{cite news| author = [[Press Trust of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_govt_makes_U-turn_on_cause_of_Bhuttos_death/articleshow/2666486.cms|title=Pak Govt makes U-turn on cause of Bhutto's death|publisher=''[[Times of India]]''|date=2008-01-01|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> However, a follow-up investigation by [[Scotland Yard]] found that while gunshots were fired, they were not the cause of death, agreeing with the Interior Ministry's original assessment that the explosion slammed her head into the roof of the vehicle. |
Though early reports indicated that she had been hit by [[shrapnel]] or the gunshots,<ref>{{cite news|first=Munir ([[Associated Press]])|last=Ahmed|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/25/international/i120815S15.DTL|title=Pakistan: Al-Qaida Behind Bhutto Killing|publisher=''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref><ref name=cnn-death>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pakistan.bhutto/index.html|title=Benazir Bhutto assassinated|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> the Pakistani Interior Ministry initially stated that Bhutto died of a skull fracture sustained when the force of the explosion caused her head to strike the sunroof of the vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/pakistan.friday/index.html |title=Bhutto died after hitting sun roof |accessdate = 2007-12-28 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Bhutto's aides rejected this version, and argued instead that she suffered two gunshots before the bomb detonation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22983841-1702,00.html |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=Bhutto death explanation 'pack of lies' |accessdate = 2007-12-28 |publisher=''[[Herald Sun]]''}}</ref> The Interior Ministry subsequently backtracked from its previous claim.<ref>{{cite news| author = [[Press Trust of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_govt_makes_U-turn_on_cause_of_Bhuttos_death/articleshow/2666486.cms|title=Pak Govt makes U-turn on cause of Bhutto's death|publisher=''[[Times of India]]''|date=2008-01-01|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> However, a follow-up investigation by [[Scotland Yard]] found that while gunshots were fired, they were not the cause of death, agreeing with the Interior Ministry's original assessment that the explosion slammed her head into the roof of the vehicle. |
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Initial reports based on Pakistani Interior Ministry information reported that Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. [[Rehman Malik]], a security adviser for Pakistan Peoples Party, suggested that the killer opened fire as Bhutto left the rally and that he hit her in the neck and chest before he detonated the explosives he was wearing. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, stated that her injuries were caused either by her having been shot or from pellets packed into the detonated bomb that acted as [[shrapnel]].<ref name=times>{{cite news|first=Zahid|last=Hussain|coauthors=Page, Jeremy| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3099534.ece|title=Benazir Bhutto assassinated at political rally in Pakistan|publisher=''[[The Times]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
Initial reports based on Pakistani Interior Ministry information reported that Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. [[Rehman Malik]], a security adviser for Pakistan Peoples Party, suggested that the killer opened fire as Bhutto left the rally and that he hit her in the neck and chest before he detonated the explosives he was wearing. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, stated that her injuries were caused either by her having been shot or from pellets packed into the detonated bomb that acted as [[shrapnel]].<ref name=times>{{cite news|first=Zahid|last=Hussain|coauthors=Page, Jeremy| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3099534.ece|title=Benazir Bhutto assassinated at political rally in Pakistan|publisher=''[[The Times]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
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On |
On December 28, however, the cause of Bhutto's death became less clear. Pakistan's Interior Ministry announced that they now felt Bhutto's death was as a result of a neck fracture sustained when she ducked or fell into her vehicle and hit the sunroof catch immediately after the gunshots but later reported her cause of death as a skull fracture.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto buried amid mass mourning|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7162236.stm | publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto killing blamed on al-Qaeda|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7163307.stm| publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref><ref name="cnnfrac">{{cite news|title=Pakistan: Fractured skull killed Bhutto | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/pakistan.friday/index.html | publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> According to an [[Associated Press]] report, the Ministry stated "Bhutto was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast knocked her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull". The Ministry further added, in contradiction of the official hospital account, that Bhutto suffered no gunshot or shrapnel injuries and that all gunshots missed her.<ref name="cnnfrac"/> |
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Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar rejected claims that Bhutto's death was caused by an accident. Bhutto’s lawyer and a senior official in the Pakistan Peoples Party, Farooq Naik, said that the report was "baseless" and "a pack of lies".<ref name="DawnLies">{{cite news|title= |
Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar rejected claims that Bhutto's death was caused by an accident. Bhutto’s lawyer and a senior official in the Pakistan Peoples Party, Farooq Naik, said that the report was "baseless" and "a pack of lies".<ref name="DawnLies">{{cite news|title= |
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In statements made to Pakistan's ''[[The News International|The News]]'', Mohammad Mussadiq Khan, one of the doctors who treated Bhutto at Rawalpindi General Hospital, described severe and depressed skull fractures, oval in overall shape, on the right side of Bhutto's head.<ref name=medreport>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/articles/bhutto_medicalreport_010108.html?sid=ST2007123102506 Medical report of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.] ([[2007]], [[December 27]]). ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved [[December 31]], [[2007]].</ref> He apparently saw no other injuries and downplayed the possibility of bullet wounds,<ref>{{cite news|title=Open head injury caused BB’s death|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=88394| publisher=''[[The News International|The News]]''|date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> although he had previously spoken of them.<ref name=KeepSilent>{{cite news |first=Emily |last=Wax |coauthors=Witte, Griff |title=Doctors Cite Pressure to Keep Silent On Bhutto |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/31/ST2007123102506.html?hpid=topnews |date=2008-01-01 |accessdate=2008-01-01}}</ref> One anonymous doctor said that Pakistani authorities took Bhutto's medical records immediately after her death, and that they told doctors to stop talking.<ref name=KeepSilent/> |
In statements made to Pakistan's ''[[The News International|The News]]'', Mohammad Mussadiq Khan, one of the doctors who treated Bhutto at Rawalpindi General Hospital, described severe and depressed skull fractures, oval in overall shape, on the right side of Bhutto's head.<ref name=medreport>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/articles/bhutto_medicalreport_010108.html?sid=ST2007123102506 Medical report of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.] ([[2007]], [[December 27]]). ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved [[December 31]], [[2007]].</ref> He apparently saw no other injuries and downplayed the possibility of bullet wounds,<ref>{{cite news|title=Open head injury caused BB’s death|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=88394| publisher=''[[The News International|The News]]''|date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> although he had previously spoken of them.<ref name=KeepSilent>{{cite news |first=Emily |last=Wax |coauthors=Witte, Griff |title=Doctors Cite Pressure to Keep Silent On Bhutto |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/31/ST2007123102506.html?hpid=topnews |date=2008-01-01 |accessdate=2008-01-01}}</ref> One anonymous doctor said that Pakistani authorities took Bhutto's medical records immediately after her death, and that they told doctors to stop talking.<ref name=KeepSilent/> |
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On |
On December 31, Athar Minallah of the Rawalpindi General Hospital released a statement (described as "clinical notes") signed by seven persons involved in Bhutto's treatment at the hospital.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawyer: Police prevented Bhutto autopsy |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/pakistan.autopsy/index.html| publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2007-12-31 |accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Medical Report of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto |url=http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/12/31/bhutto.report.pdf | publisher=[[CNN]] |date=2007-12-31 |accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto Medical Report |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi071231bhutto_wgfx,1,1977937.htmlpage | publisher=''[[Chicago Tribune]]''|date=2007-12-31 |accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref> These persons were not pathologists and did not conduct a formal autopsy. The statement first narrates the course of treatment, from Bhutto's arrival at the hospital until she was declared dead. The second part of the statement details the head wound and notes that "Detailed external examination of the body did not reveal any other external injury". X-rays had been taken of the head wound and were interpreted in the statement. The cause of death was declared to be "Open head injury with depressed skull fracture, leading to cardiopulmonary arrest". |
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According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the crime scene was cleared before any forensic examination could be completed and no formal autopsy was performed before burial.<ref name="washpost 29dec">{{cite news |first=Griff |last=Witte |title= Masses Mourn Bhutto as Unrest Spreads |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800200.html |publisher=''[[Washington Post]]'' |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> Doctors had asked permission to perform an autopsy, but this request was denied by the Rawalpindi chief of police.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jane |last=Perlez |title=Request for Bhutto autopsy was denied, doctors say |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/30/asia/pakistan.php |publisher=''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' |date=2007-12-30 |accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> According to the BBC, Brigadier Cheema claims "We gave you absolute facts…corroborated by the doctors' report," and that Pakistan would allow her body to be exhumed.<ref name="BBC Crack down">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7164138.stm Musharraf cracks down on rioters], [[BBC News]], Last Updated: Saturday, [[29 December]] [[2007]], 14:57 UTC </ref> Bhutto's husband later confirmed that he had denied a request for an autopsy to be conducted citing fears the report would be manipulated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto murder: Key questions|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7165892.stm|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2008-02-08|accessdate =2008-03-02}}</ref> |
According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the crime scene was cleared before any forensic examination could be completed and no formal autopsy was performed before burial.<ref name="washpost 29dec">{{cite news |first=Griff |last=Witte |title= Masses Mourn Bhutto as Unrest Spreads |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800200.html |publisher=''[[Washington Post]]'' |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> Doctors had asked permission to perform an autopsy, but this request was denied by the Rawalpindi chief of police.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jane |last=Perlez |title=Request for Bhutto autopsy was denied, doctors say |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/30/asia/pakistan.php |publisher=''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' |date=2007-12-30 |accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> According to the BBC, Brigadier Cheema claims "We gave you absolute facts…corroborated by the doctors' report," and that Pakistan would allow her body to be exhumed.<ref name="BBC Crack down">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7164138.stm Musharraf cracks down on rioters], [[BBC News]], Last Updated: Saturday, [[29 December]] [[2007]], 14:57 UTC </ref> Bhutto's husband later confirmed that he had denied a request for an autopsy to be conducted citing fears the report would be manipulated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto murder: Key questions|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7165892.stm|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2008-02-08|accessdate =2008-03-02}}</ref> |
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On |
On January 1, 2008, Pakistan's Interior Ministry backtracked on its statement that Benazir Bhutto had died from hitting her head on the sunroof latch. Ministry spokesman, Javed Iqbal Cheema said that the ministry would wait for forensic investigations before making a conclusion on Bhutto's cause of death.<ref name="CNN 1Jan">{{cite news | title = Ministry backtracks on Bhutto sunroof claims |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/pakistan.autopsy/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=2008-01-01 |accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref> |
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According to a report released by the Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto died of injuries sustained from a laser beam shot. The report, signed by seven doctors, including Senator Dr Babar Awan disclosed that, "there were two to three tiny radio densities under each fractured segments on both projections which were in fact invisible electromagnetic radiations."<ref>{{cite news|first=Asim|last=Yasin|title=Benazir’s death caused by laser beam shots, claims Babar|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=12094|publisher= ''[[The News International]]''|accessdate =2008-03-02}}</ref> |
According to a report released by the Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto died of injuries sustained from a laser beam shot. The report, signed by seven doctors, including Senator Dr Babar Awan disclosed that, "there were two to three tiny radio densities under each fractured segments on both projections which were in fact invisible electromagnetic radiations."<ref>{{cite news|first=Asim|last=Yasin|title=Benazir’s death caused by laser beam shots, claims Babar|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=12094|publisher= ''[[The News International]]''|accessdate =2008-03-02}}</ref> |
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On |
On February 8, 2008, investigators from Scotland Yard concluded that Benazir Bhutto died after hitting her head as she was tossed by the force of a suicide blast, not from an assassin’s bullet.<ref>{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Schmitt|coauthors=Masood, Salman|title=Head Injury Killed Bhutto, Report Said to Find|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/world/asia/08bhutto.html |publisher= ''[[New York Times]]''|date=2008-02-08|accessdate =2008-03-05}}</ref> In the report, UK Home Office pathologist Dr. Nathaniel Cary said that while a gunshot wound to her head or trunk could not be entirely excluded as a possibility, "the only tenable cause for the rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effects of the bomb-blast."<ref name=ScotlandYard>{{cite web |author=Scotland Yard |title=Scotland Yard Statement on Bhutto Report |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120246987508353681.html?mod=Asian-Business-News |publisher=''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' |date=2008-02-08 |accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref> The findings were consistent with the Pakistani government’s explanation of Bhutto’s assassination, an account that had been greeted with disbelief by Ms. Bhutto’s supporters, other Pakistanis and medical experts. |
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===Funeral=== |
===Funeral=== |
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Bhutto's funeral occurred on the afternoon of |
Bhutto's funeral occurred on the afternoon of December 28, 2007. Her body was moved from [[Chaklala Airbase]] in Rawalpindi to [[Sukkur Airport]] on December 28 at 1:20 a.m. Both her children and her husband travelled with her body. Earlier they reached Chaklala Air Base by a special flight to get her body.<ref name=death/> Mourners from all over Pakistan made their way to [[Larkana]] to take part in the funeral ceremony for the former Prime Minister. The family delivered the body to its site of burial via helicopter. Bhutto was laid to rest beside her father in the family tomb.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bhutto buried next to her father's grave|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Bhutto_buried_next_to_her_fathers_grave/articleshow/2659296.cms |
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|publisher=''[[Economic Times]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
|publisher=''[[Economic Times]]''|date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
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Demonstrations were widespread in Pakistan with police using [[tear gas]] and batons to break up angry demonstrations in [[Peshawar]].<ref name=death/> Some protesters torched the billboards of Musharraf, firing in the air and screaming. Protests in [[Multan]] also had protesters burning tyres and blocking traffic. Similar scenes were witnessed in [[Karachi]], Bhutto's hometown.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=Pakistan police tear gas protest|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/pakistan-police-tear-gas-protest/2007/12/28/1198345171832.html|publisher=''[[The Age]]'' |date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> Police in [[Sindh]] were put on red alert.<ref>{{cite news|first=Augustine ([[Reuters]])|last=Anthony|title=Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated in gun, bomb attack|url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/12/27/pakistans_bhutto_assassinated_in_gun_bomb_attack/|publisher=''[[Boston Globe]]''|date=2007-12-27|accessdate = 2008-03-02}}</ref> Two police officers were shot in Karachi during the riots following the assassination.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[Associated Press]]|title=Bhutto Assassination Throws Pakistan Into Chaos|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318510,00.html|publisher=[[FOX News]]|date=2007-12-27|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> |
Demonstrations were widespread in Pakistan with police using [[tear gas]] and batons to break up angry demonstrations in [[Peshawar]].<ref name=death/> Some protesters torched the billboards of Musharraf, firing in the air and screaming. Protests in [[Multan]] also had protesters burning tyres and blocking traffic. Similar scenes were witnessed in [[Karachi]], Bhutto's hometown.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=Pakistan police tear gas protest|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/pakistan-police-tear-gas-protest/2007/12/28/1198345171832.html|publisher=''[[The Age]]'' |date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> Police in [[Sindh]] were put on red alert.<ref>{{cite news|first=Augustine ([[Reuters]])|last=Anthony|title=Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated in gun, bomb attack|url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/12/27/pakistans_bhutto_assassinated_in_gun_bomb_attack/|publisher=''[[Boston Globe]]''|date=2007-12-27|accessdate = 2008-03-02}}</ref> Two police officers were shot in Karachi during the riots following the assassination.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[Associated Press]]|title=Bhutto Assassination Throws Pakistan Into Chaos|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318510,00.html|publisher=[[FOX News]]|date=2007-12-27|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> |
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Musharraf ordered a crack down on rioters and looters to ensure safety and security.<ref name="BBC Crack down"/> The Pakistan Rangers announced shoot-on-sight orders against anyone inciting violence or arson, although attempts to avoid direct confrontation were maintained. On |
Musharraf ordered a crack down on rioters and looters to ensure safety and security.<ref name="BBC Crack down"/> The Pakistan Rangers announced shoot-on-sight orders against anyone inciting violence or arson, although attempts to avoid direct confrontation were maintained. On December 28, the riots deteriorated, especially in the [[Sindh Province]], the homeground of Bhutto. Foreign outlets, trains, banks and vehicles were destroyed or burnt and protesters took over the streets, chanting slogans and setting tires on fire in several cities. At least 47 people died in the riots.<ref name=bhuttosuccessor>{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3B2626BC-33E6-4004-A27E-70BAC1770563.htm |title= Bhutto's Party To Decide Successor |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]|date=2007-12-30|accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Rioters destroyed 176 banks, 34 petrol stations and hundreds of cars and shops.<ref name=bhuttosuccessor/> |
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===Pakistan Peoples Party=== |
===Pakistan Peoples Party=== |
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Bhutto's son, [[Bilawal Bhutto Zardari]], read her instructions on the future of the Pakistan Peoples Party on |
Bhutto's son, [[Bilawal Bhutto Zardari]], read her instructions on the future of the Pakistan Peoples Party on December 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bhutto note on party's future to be read on Sunday: husband |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=e934b863-ee39-4a5b-ba0e-7b5474b768fb&MatchID1=4617&TeamID1=3&TeamID2=4&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1163&PrimaryID=4617&Headline='Bhutto+note+on+party's+future+to+be+read+on+Sunday' |publisher=''[[Hindustan Times]]'' |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> He was appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party on December 30, 2007 in accordance with his mother's wish,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bhutto's Son Given Top Party Job |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1298715,00.html|publisher=[[Sky News]] |accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> and his father will be co-chairman.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bhutto's son, husband to be co-leaders of party |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-31174520071230 |publisher=[[Reuters]] |accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> [[Ghinwa Bhutto]], the sister-in-law of Benazir Bhutto, stated that she would try to convince Bilawal to defect to her breakway party, Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto), which is named in honour of [[Murtaza Bhutto]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rival Pakistan party wants Bhutto's son to defect|url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipvkdoT2XSDGG7UrGjgrxe5KUQZw|publisher=AFP|date= 2008-01-08|accessdate=2008-03-07|}}</ref> |
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===Elections and electoral fraud report=== |
===Elections and electoral fraud report=== |
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{{Main|Pakistani general election, 2008}} |
{{Main|Pakistani general election, 2008}} |
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Pakistan's election commission met on |
Pakistan's election commission met on December 31 to decide whether or not to delay the January elections; two days before they hinted that they would need to because pre-election preparation had been "adversely affected".<ref>{{cite news |title=Pakistan says turmoil after Bhutto death could delay vote |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5icsQbmqoVemEy4Fm6QlKRnIoJFug |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> A senior election commission official subsequently announced that the election would be delayed until "the later part of February".<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=Pakistan election to be held in February |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22994503-23109,00.html| publisher= [[News.com.au]] |date= 2008-01-01 |accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref> |
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Senator [[Latif Khosa]], one of Bhutto's top aides, reported that she was planning to divulge evidence of fraud in the upcoming election following the event where the assassination took place. The pair co-wrote a 160-page dossier on the subject, with Bhutto outlining tactics she alleged would be put into play, including intimidation, excluding voters and fake ballots being planted in boxes. The report was titled ''Yet another stain on the face of democracy''. |
Senator [[Latif Khosa]], one of Bhutto's top aides, reported that she was planning to divulge evidence of fraud in the upcoming election following the event where the assassination took place. The pair co-wrote a 160-page dossier on the subject, with Bhutto outlining tactics she alleged would be put into play, including intimidation, excluding voters and fake ballots being planted in boxes. The report was titled ''Yet another stain on the face of democracy''. |
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In a statement he made on the |
In a statement he made on the January 1, 2008, Khosa said: {{cquote|''The state agencies are manipulating the whole process, there is rigging by the ISI ([[Inter-Services Intelligence]]), the [[Election Commission of Pakistan|Election Commission]] and the previous government, which is still continuing to hold influence. They were on the rampage.<ref name=rigging/>}} Khosa said that they had planned to give the dossier to two American law-makers on the evening of her assassination and release it publicly soon after that. One of the claims in the dossier was that US financial aid had been secretly misappropriated for electoral fraud and another was that the ISI has a 'mega-computer' which could hack into any other computer and was connected to the Election Commission's system. A spokesman for President Musharraf called the claims "ridiculous".<ref name=rigging>{{cite news | author = [[Reuters]] | title = Bhutto had 'proof' of poll-rigging plan | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/01/2129959.htm | publisher = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date= [[2008-01-01]] | accessdate = 2008-01-02}}</ref> |
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In the run up to the election, the 'sympathy vote' was considered crucial for the Pakistan Peoples Party, which was expected to win the [[Pakistani National Assembly|National Assembly]].<ref>Birsel, Robert [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2008/02/10/bhutto-sympathy-vote-seen-key-to-pakistan-election-89520-20315133/ Bhutto sympathy vote seen key to Pakistan election]. [[The Daily Mirror]]. [[February 2]], [[2008]]. Retrieved on [[March 7]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Sappenfield|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0214/p06s01-wosc.html|title=Bhutto's legacy propels Pakistan People's Party ahead of election|publisher=''[[Christian Science Monitor]]''|accessdate = 2008-03-07|date=2008-02-14}}</ref> The election results yielded a majority for the Pakistan Peoples Party in the National Assembly, and in the [[Provincial Assembly of Sindh]].<ref>Cameron-Moore, Simon [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSISL25056920080219?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Pakistan's Musharraf could face end, analysts say]. [[Reuters]]. [[February 19]], [[2008]]. Retrieved on [[March 7]], [[2008]]</ref> |
In the run up to the election, the 'sympathy vote' was considered crucial for the Pakistan Peoples Party, which was expected to win the [[Pakistani National Assembly|National Assembly]].<ref>Birsel, Robert [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2008/02/10/bhutto-sympathy-vote-seen-key-to-pakistan-election-89520-20315133/ Bhutto sympathy vote seen key to Pakistan election]. [[The Daily Mirror]]. [[February 2]], [[2008]]. Retrieved on [[March 7]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Sappenfield|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0214/p06s01-wosc.html|title=Bhutto's legacy propels Pakistan People's Party ahead of election|publisher=''[[Christian Science Monitor]]''|accessdate = 2008-03-07|date=2008-02-14}}</ref> The election results yielded a majority for the Pakistan Peoples Party in the National Assembly, and in the [[Provincial Assembly of Sindh]].<ref>Cameron-Moore, Simon [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSISL25056920080219?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Pakistan's Musharraf could face end, analysts say]. [[Reuters]]. [[February 19]], [[2008]]. Retrieved on [[March 7]], [[2008]]</ref> |
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==Responsibility== |
==Responsibility== |
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On |
On December 27, [[al-Qaeda]] commander [[Mustafa Abu al-Yazid]] is said to have claimed responsibility for the assassination, telling several news outlets that "We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] [[mujahideen]]."<ref>{{cite news |title='We assassinated America's precious asset,' boasts top al Qaeda commander|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=504838&in_page_id=1811 |publisher=[[Daily Mail]]|date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2008-04-07}}</ref> In his statement to the media, he further claimed that al-Yazid stated that al-Qaeda second-in-command [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] ordered the killing in October 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pakistan: Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto's death|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1710322437|publisher=Adnkronos International|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> [[Asia Times Online]] also reported that it had received a claim of responsibility from al-Yazid by telephone.<ref>{{cite news |first=Syed Saleem |last=Shahzad |title=Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto killing |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IL29Df01.html |publisher=[[Asia Times Online]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> U.S. intelligence officials have said that they cannot confirm this claim of responsibility.<ref name=ross>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Ross |title=U.S. Checking al Qaeda Claim of Killing Bhutto |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/12/us-checking-al.html |publisher=[[ABC News]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> Nonetheless, U.S. analysts have said that al-Qaeda was a likely, or even prime suspect.<ref name=ross/><ref>{{cite news |first=Randall |last=Mikkelsen |title=UPDATE 1-Al Qaeda leads suspect list in Bhutto killing |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2743384120071227 |publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> For its part, the Pakistani Interior Ministry states that it has proof that al-Qaeda was behind the assassination, stating "that the suicide bomber belonged to [[Lashkar i Jhangvi|Lashkar-e-Jhangvi]] – an al Qaeda-linked [[Sunni]] Muslim militant group that the government has blamed for hundreds of killings".<ref name="cnnfrac"/><ref>{{cite news|title= U.S. suspects Taliban leader behind Bhutto plot |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/bhutto.dhs.alqaeda/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2007-12-28 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> The Interior Ministry also claimed to have intercepted a statement by militant leader [[Baitullah Mehsud]], said to be linked to al-Qaeda, in which he congratulated his followers for carrying out the assassination.<ref>{{cite news |first=Martin |last=Fletcher |title=Named: the al-Qaeda chief who ‘masterminded murder’ |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3105443.ece |date=2007-12-29 |accessed=2007-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ashraf |last=Khan |title=Bhutto Buried As Pakistan Unrest Spreads |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20071228/bhutto-buried-as-pakistan-unrest-spreads.htm|publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=2007-12-28 |accessdate = 2008-03-07}}</ref> On December 29 a Mehsud spokesman told the Associated Press that Mehsud was not involved in the assassination:<ref name=AP-Nessman>{{cite news |first=Ravi |last=Nessman |title=Pakistan militants, Bhutto aides allege government coverup in assassination|url=http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071229/world/pakistan_bhutto_34 |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=2007-12-29 |accessed=2007-12-29}}</ref> "I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don't strike women. It is a conspiracy by government, military and intelligence agencies."<ref>{{cite news |title="I didn't kill Benazir Bhutto" |url=http://timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=5173 |publisher=[[Times Now]] |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> The Pakistan Peoples Party also called the government's blame of Mehsud a diversion: "The story that al-Qaida or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's party.<ref name=AP-Nessman/><ref>{{cite news |title=Fighters deny Bhutto killing link |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3DFBFF6A-8916-4F25-8EC3-B3D695365371.htm |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> On January 18, CIA Director [[Michael Hayden]] confirmed that Mehsud and his network was responsible.<ref>{{cite news |title=CIA boss names Bhutto's killers |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7195591.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2008-01-18 |accessdate=2008-01-18}}</ref> |
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Others have suggested that the assassination may have been undertaken by elements within the government or Inter-Services Intelligence. Bhutto, in a letter to Musharraf written on [[16 October]] [[2007]], named four persons involved in an alleged plot to kill her: current Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief [[Ijaz Shah]], former chief minister of Punjab [[Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi]], former chief minister of Sindh [[Arbab Ghulam Rahim]], and the former ISI chief, [[Hamid Gul]], as those who posed a threat to her life.<ref>{{cite news | last = Shakeel | first = Syed Faisal | title = PPP demands probe based on Benazir’s letter | publisher = ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' | date = [[2007-12-30]] | url = http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/30/top12.htm | accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> British newspaper ''[[The Times]]'' suggested that elements within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence with close ties to [[Islamists]] might have been behind the killing, though it asserts that Musharraf would have been unlikely to have ordered the assassination.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeremy |last=Page |title=Main suspects are warlords and security forces |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3100052.ece |publisher=''[[The Times]]''|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> October 2007 emails from Bhutto saying she would blame Musharraf for her death if she were killed, because the Musharraf government was not providing adequate security, were also published after Bhutto's death.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bhutto Blamed Musharraf for Lack of Security |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17654781 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref><ref name=blame/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Email queries security shortfall |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/email-queries-security-shortfall/2007/12/28/1198778704809.html |publisher=''[[The Age]]'' |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> Soon after the killing, many of Bhutto's supporters believed that the Musharraf government was involved in the assassination.<ref>David, Ruth [http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/27/pakistan-bhutto-update-markets-emerge-cx_rd_1227markets26.html Bhutto Supporters Blame Musharraf]. ''Forbes.com''. Retrieved on [[March 1]], [[2008]]</ref> On |
Others have suggested that the assassination may have been undertaken by elements within the government or Inter-Services Intelligence. Bhutto, in a letter to Musharraf written on [[16 October]] [[2007]], named four persons involved in an alleged plot to kill her: current Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief [[Ijaz Shah]], former chief minister of Punjab [[Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi]], former chief minister of Sindh [[Arbab Ghulam Rahim]], and the former ISI chief, [[Hamid Gul]], as those who posed a threat to her life.<ref>{{cite news | last = Shakeel | first = Syed Faisal | title = PPP demands probe based on Benazir’s letter | publisher = ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' | date = [[2007-12-30]] | url = http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/30/top12.htm | accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> British newspaper ''[[The Times]]'' suggested that elements within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence with close ties to [[Islamists]] might have been behind the killing, though it asserts that Musharraf would have been unlikely to have ordered the assassination.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeremy |last=Page |title=Main suspects are warlords and security forces |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3100052.ece |publisher=''[[The Times]]''|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> October 2007 emails from Bhutto saying she would blame Musharraf for her death if she were killed, because the Musharraf government was not providing adequate security, were also published after Bhutto's death.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bhutto Blamed Musharraf for Lack of Security |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17654781 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref><ref name=blame/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Email queries security shortfall |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/email-queries-security-shortfall/2007/12/28/1198778704809.html |publisher=''[[The Age]]'' |date=2007-12-29 |accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> Soon after the killing, many of Bhutto's supporters believed that the Musharraf government was involved in the assassination.<ref>David, Ruth [http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/27/pakistan-bhutto-update-markets-emerge-cx_rd_1227markets26.html Bhutto Supporters Blame Musharraf]. ''Forbes.com''. Retrieved on [[March 1]], [[2008]]</ref> On December 30, ''[[Scotland on Sunday]]'' quoted [[MI5]] sources saying that factions of Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] may be responsible for the assassination.<ref>{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Elias |coauthors=Watson, Jeremy |title=Bhutto murder blamed on Pakistan agents |url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/latestnews/Bhutto-murder-blamed-on-Pakistan.3628362.jp |publisher=[[Scotland on Sunday]] |date=2007-12-30 |accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> Bhutto anticipated that three senior allies of President Musharraf were out to kill her in a secret email to Foreign Secretary [[David Miliband]] written weeks before her death.<ref>{{cite news | last = Walters | first = Simon | title = Bhutto email named killers weeks before assassination | publisher = ''[[Daily Mail]]'' | date = [[2007-12-30]] | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=505152&in_page_id=1811 | accessdate = 2007-12-30}}</ref> |
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==Reactions== |
==Reactions== |
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Chairman [[Imran Khan]] of the [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|Tehreek-e-Insaf]] party strongly condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "It is a dastardly act designed to destabilise Pakistan with the government responsible for not providing her security though she was demanding it. We must fight this menace of terrorism. It is a black day in the history of Pakistan and an irreparable loss to this country," Khan said.<ref>{{cite news |title=A black day for Pak |url=http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=5161 |publisher=[[Times Now]] |date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
Chairman [[Imran Khan]] of the [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf|Tehreek-e-Insaf]] party strongly condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "It is a dastardly act designed to destabilise Pakistan with the government responsible for not providing her security though she was demanding it. We must fight this menace of terrorism. It is a black day in the history of Pakistan and an irreparable loss to this country," Khan said.<ref>{{cite news |title=A black day for Pak |url=http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=5161 |publisher=[[Times Now]] |date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> |
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Pakistan Peoples Party president Javaid Manzoor said, "We [Bhutto's supporters] are shocked. We are stunned. Every single one of us is mourning the loss of our leader," also stating that he believed that the next election, scheduled for |
Pakistan Peoples Party president Javaid Manzoor said, "We [Bhutto's supporters] are shocked. We are stunned. Every single one of us is mourning the loss of our leader," also stating that he believed that the next election, scheduled for January 8 would be cancelled.<ref name=aljazeera/> Pakistan Peoples Party senior vice chairman [[Makhdoom Amin Fahim]] later called for a 40-day period of mourning across Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |first=Amir | last=Wasim| title=PPP announces 40-day mourning| http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top4.htm |publisher=''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=2007-12-27|accessdate = 2008-03-05}}</ref> Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the Pakistan Peoples Party was unhappy with the government's declaration of the death coming as a result of an accident and said that the Pakistan Peoples Party wanted to see a change in the direction of the investigation. He called for an independent inquiry into the assassination by international experts. He also said that “had the government accepted our demand of conducting an inquiry into Karachi’s [[18 October]] blast by international experts, this incident would not have happened."<ref>{{cite news|first=Syed Irfan |last=Raza|title=Govt gives new twist to probe: Al Qaeda blamed for killing |url=http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/29/top5.htm |publisher=''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' |date=2007-12-28|accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> |
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===International reaction=== |
===International reaction=== |
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[[Image:President and Mrs. Bush Extend Condolences Regarding Assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Condemn Violence.jpg|U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] condemned the assassination in a |
[[Image:President and Mrs. Bush Extend Condolences Regarding Assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Condemn Violence.jpg|U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] condemned the assassination in a December 27 press conference.|thumb]] |
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{{main|International reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto}} |
{{main|International reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto}} |
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Bhutto's assassination was greeted with widespread condemnation by members of the international community,<ref name=BBCReaction/> including Pakistan's regional neighbours [[Afghanistan]],<ref name=BBCReaction>{{cite news |title=Reactions to Bhutto assassination |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161660.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-27}}</ref> [[People's Republic of China|China]],<ref>{{cite news|title = Global outrage over assassination|publisher = [[Al Jazeera]]|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E933FBE1-6592-4764-A41F-17762EA7ABF8.htm|date = 2007-12-27|accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> [[India]],<ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=indiashock>{{cite news|first=Nilova Roy|last=Chaudhury|title=India expresses shock, horror at Bhutto's assassination| url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=481be59c-a0d8-4224-b0ce-5a5a0fc97fb2Benazirassassinated_Special&MatchID1=4625&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1165&MatchID2=4617&TeamID3=3&TeamID4=4&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1163&PrimaryID=4625&Headline=India+expresses+shock%2c+horror |publisher=''[[Hindustan Times]]'' |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-27}}</ref> [[Bangladesh]],<ref>{{cite news|title=World shocked at Bhutto assassination| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2656099.cms |publisher= ''[[Times of India]]'' |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2008-03-05}}</ref> and [[Iran]].<ref name = "cnn"/><ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=reactions>{{cite news |title=Iranian FM strongly condemns Bhutto's assassination|url=http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-22/0712288630100921.htm/|publisher=[[Islamic Republic News Agency]]|date=2007-12-28 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] praised Bhutto's efforts for the improvement of [[Indo-Pakistani relations]].<ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=indiashock/> The [[United Nations Security Council]] held an emergency meeting and unanimously condemned the assassination,<ref>{{cite news |title=Security Council condemns suicide attack that killed former prime minister of Pakistan |url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9217.doc.htm |publisher=[[United Nations]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> a call echoed by [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Secretary-General 'shocked and outraged' by Bhutto assassination|url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11352.doc.htm |publisher=[[United Nations]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> Both [[European Union]] President [[José Manuel Barroso]] and U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] also expressed the hope that Pakistan would continue on the path of democracy.<ref name= "cnn" /><ref name=BBCReaction /><ref>{{cite news | title = Bush Condemns Bhutto Assassination | first=Tabassum |last=Zakaria|publisher =[[Reuters]] |date=2007-12-27 | url=http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31143920071227 | accessdate =2007-03-05}}</ref> |
Bhutto's assassination was greeted with widespread condemnation by members of the international community,<ref name=BBCReaction/> including Pakistan's regional neighbours [[Afghanistan]],<ref name=BBCReaction>{{cite news |title=Reactions to Bhutto assassination |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161660.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-27}}</ref> [[People's Republic of China|China]],<ref>{{cite news|title = Global outrage over assassination|publisher = [[Al Jazeera]]|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E933FBE1-6592-4764-A41F-17762EA7ABF8.htm|date = 2007-12-27|accessdate = 2007-12-27}}</ref> [[India]],<ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=indiashock>{{cite news|first=Nilova Roy|last=Chaudhury|title=India expresses shock, horror at Bhutto's assassination| url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=481be59c-a0d8-4224-b0ce-5a5a0fc97fb2Benazirassassinated_Special&MatchID1=4625&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1165&MatchID2=4617&TeamID3=3&TeamID4=4&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1163&PrimaryID=4625&Headline=India+expresses+shock%2c+horror |publisher=''[[Hindustan Times]]'' |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-27}}</ref> [[Bangladesh]],<ref>{{cite news|title=World shocked at Bhutto assassination| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2656099.cms |publisher= ''[[Times of India]]'' |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2008-03-05}}</ref> and [[Iran]].<ref name = "cnn"/><ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=reactions>{{cite news |title=Iranian FM strongly condemns Bhutto's assassination|url=http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-22/0712288630100921.htm/|publisher=[[Islamic Republic News Agency]]|date=2007-12-28 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] praised Bhutto's efforts for the improvement of [[Indo-Pakistani relations]].<ref name=BBCReaction /><ref name=indiashock/> The [[United Nations Security Council]] held an emergency meeting and unanimously condemned the assassination,<ref>{{cite news |title=Security Council condemns suicide attack that killed former prime minister of Pakistan |url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9217.doc.htm |publisher=[[United Nations]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> a call echoed by [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Secretary-General 'shocked and outraged' by Bhutto assassination|url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11352.doc.htm |publisher=[[United Nations]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> Both [[European Union]] President [[José Manuel Barroso]] and U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] also expressed the hope that Pakistan would continue on the path of democracy.<ref name= "cnn" /><ref name=BBCReaction /><ref>{{cite news | title = Bush Condemns Bhutto Assassination | first=Tabassum |last=Zakaria|publisher =[[Reuters]] |date=2007-12-27 | url=http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31143920071227 | accessdate =2007-03-05}}</ref> |
Revision as of 00:16, 29 July 2008
Benazir Bhutto assassination | |
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Location | Liaquat National Bagh, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan |
Date | December 27, 2007 |
Target | Benazir Bhutto |
Attack type | Suicide attack[1] Shooting Bombing[2] |
Deaths | At least 24[3] |
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto occurred on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996) and then-leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January 2008.[1][4] She was shot at after a political rally at Liaquat National Bagh; a suicide bomb was detonated immediately following the shooting. She was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 UTC), at Rawalpindi General Hospital. At least 23 other people were killed by the bombing.[3] Shortly after her return from exile two months earlier, she survived a similar attempt on her life that killed at least 139 people.
Though early reports indicated that she had been hit by shrapnel or the gunshots,[5][6] the Pakistani Interior Ministry initially stated that Bhutto died of a skull fracture sustained when the force of the explosion caused her head to strike the sunroof of the vehicle.[7] Bhutto's aides rejected this version, and argued instead that she suffered two gunshots before the bomb detonation.[8] The Interior Ministry subsequently backtracked from its previous claim.[9] However, a follow-up investigation by Scotland Yard found that while gunshots were fired, they were not the cause of death, agreeing with the Interior Ministry's original assessment that the explosion slammed her head into the roof of the vehicle.
Background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Benazir_Bhutto.jpg/170px-Benazir_Bhutto.jpg)
Bhutto had opted for self-exile while her court cases for corruption remained pending in foreign and Pakistani courts.[10] After eight years in exile in Dubai and London, Bhutto returned to Karachi on 18 October 2007 to prepare for the 2008 national elections, allowed by a possible power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf.[4][11]
Bhutto survived an assassination attempt in Karachi during this homecoming.[12][4][13] En route to a rally in Karachi on 18 October 2007, two explosions occurred shortly after she had landed and left Jinnah International Airport returning from her exile.[14] Bhutto was not injured, but the explosions, later found to be a suicide-bomb attack, killed 139 people and injured at least 450.[14][15] The dead included at least 50 of the security guards from her Pakistan Peoples Party, who had formed a human chain around her truck to keep potential bombers away, as well as six police officers.[16] A number of senior officials were injured. Bhutto was escorted unharmed from the scene.[16]
After the bombing Bhutto and her husband asked Musharraf for greater security, including tinted windows, jammers for bombs, private guards, and four police vehicles. These calls were echoed by three U.S. Senators who wrote to Musharraf. Bhutto's supporters and the Pakistani government dispute whether or not she was provided adequate protection.[17] The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Bhutto further asked the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Britain's Scotland Yard, and Israel's Mossad several weeks before the assassination to help provide for her protection. Israel had not yet decided whether or not to provide aid because it did not want to upset relations with Pakistan and India.[18] Bhutto also tried to obtain private security personnel, approaching both the U.S.-based Blackwater and UK-based ArmorGroup. However, the Pakistani government refused to give visas to the foreign security contractors. Despite this, American diplomats provided Bhutto with confidential U.S. intelligence on threats against her.[19] After the assassination, President Musharraf denied that Bhutto should have received more security, saying that her death was primarily her own fault because she took "unnecessary risks" and should have exited the rally more quickly.[20]
Assassination
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Benazir Bhutto had just addressed a rally of Pakistan Peoples Party supporters in the city of Rawalpindi when the rally was rocked by a blast. Bhutto was leaving the rally when the attack occurred.[4] Initial police reports stated that one or more assassins fired at Bhutto's bulletproof white Toyota Land Cruiser just as she was about to drive off after the rally.[21] A suicide bomber detonating a bomb next to her vehicle followed.[22] According to Getty Images photographer John Moore, Bhutto was standing through her vehicle's sunroof to wave at supporters, and fell back inside after two gunshots.[6][23] The Times of India aired an amateur clip showing the assassin firing four gun shots at Bhutto before the blast.[24]
Following the incident, an unconscious Bhutto was taken to the Rawalpindi General Hospital at 17:35 local time,[25] where doctors led by Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Mohammad Musaddiq Khan tried to resuscitate her, performing a "left anterolateral thoracotomy for open cardiac massage".[26] Dr. Sadiq Khan, Khan's father, had tried to save Liaquat Ali Khan when he was assassinated in the same park and rushed to the same hospital in 1951.[27] Although Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Bhutto was safe, she was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 UTC).[4][28][29]
Cause of death
Bhutto's cause of death has been much discussed and debated. Some commentators have suggested that this debate has been motivated by attempts to define Bhutto's legacy: perhaps Bhutto would be considered a martyr if she died by gunshot, but not if she died by hitting her head following a bomb blast.[30][31] Others have asserted that the arguments against a death by gunshot aimed to blunt criticism that she was not adequately protected.[31]
Initial reports based on Pakistani Interior Ministry information reported that Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. Rehman Malik, a security adviser for Pakistan Peoples Party, suggested that the killer opened fire as Bhutto left the rally and that he hit her in the neck and chest before he detonated the explosives he was wearing. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, stated that her injuries were caused either by her having been shot or from pellets packed into the detonated bomb that acted as shrapnel.[32]
On December 28, however, the cause of Bhutto's death became less clear. Pakistan's Interior Ministry announced that they now felt Bhutto's death was as a result of a neck fracture sustained when she ducked or fell into her vehicle and hit the sunroof catch immediately after the gunshots but later reported her cause of death as a skull fracture.[33][34][35] According to an Associated Press report, the Ministry stated "Bhutto was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast knocked her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull". The Ministry further added, in contradiction of the official hospital account, that Bhutto suffered no gunshot or shrapnel injuries and that all gunshots missed her.[35]
Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar rejected claims that Bhutto's death was caused by an accident. Bhutto’s lawyer and a senior official in the Pakistan Peoples Party, Farooq Naik, said that the report was "baseless" and "a pack of lies".[36] He went on to support the view that the cause of death was two bullets hitting Bhutto in the abdomen and the head.[36] An anonymous Toyota official also rejected the notion that she could have even hit the lever based on its location in the car (a Toyota Land Cruiser).[37]
In statements made to Pakistan's The News, Mohammad Mussadiq Khan, one of the doctors who treated Bhutto at Rawalpindi General Hospital, described severe and depressed skull fractures, oval in overall shape, on the right side of Bhutto's head.[38] He apparently saw no other injuries and downplayed the possibility of bullet wounds,[39] although he had previously spoken of them.[40] One anonymous doctor said that Pakistani authorities took Bhutto's medical records immediately after her death, and that they told doctors to stop talking.[40]
On December 31, Athar Minallah of the Rawalpindi General Hospital released a statement (described as "clinical notes") signed by seven persons involved in Bhutto's treatment at the hospital.[41][42][43] These persons were not pathologists and did not conduct a formal autopsy. The statement first narrates the course of treatment, from Bhutto's arrival at the hospital until she was declared dead. The second part of the statement details the head wound and notes that "Detailed external examination of the body did not reveal any other external injury". X-rays had been taken of the head wound and were interpreted in the statement. The cause of death was declared to be "Open head injury with depressed skull fracture, leading to cardiopulmonary arrest".
According to The Washington Post, the crime scene was cleared before any forensic examination could be completed and no formal autopsy was performed before burial.[44] Doctors had asked permission to perform an autopsy, but this request was denied by the Rawalpindi chief of police.[45] According to the BBC, Brigadier Cheema claims "We gave you absolute facts…corroborated by the doctors' report," and that Pakistan would allow her body to be exhumed.[46] Bhutto's husband later confirmed that he had denied a request for an autopsy to be conducted citing fears the report would be manipulated.[47]
On January 1, 2008, Pakistan's Interior Ministry backtracked on its statement that Benazir Bhutto had died from hitting her head on the sunroof latch. Ministry spokesman, Javed Iqbal Cheema said that the ministry would wait for forensic investigations before making a conclusion on Bhutto's cause of death.[48]
According to a report released by the Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto died of injuries sustained from a laser beam shot. The report, signed by seven doctors, including Senator Dr Babar Awan disclosed that, "there were two to three tiny radio densities under each fractured segments on both projections which were in fact invisible electromagnetic radiations."[49]
On February 8, 2008, investigators from Scotland Yard concluded that Benazir Bhutto died after hitting her head as she was tossed by the force of a suicide blast, not from an assassin’s bullet.[50] In the report, UK Home Office pathologist Dr. Nathaniel Cary said that while a gunshot wound to her head or trunk could not be entirely excluded as a possibility, "the only tenable cause for the rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effects of the bomb-blast."[51] The findings were consistent with the Pakistani government’s explanation of Bhutto’s assassination, an account that had been greeted with disbelief by Ms. Bhutto’s supporters, other Pakistanis and medical experts.
Funeral
Bhutto's funeral occurred on the afternoon of December 28, 2007. Her body was moved from Chaklala Airbase in Rawalpindi to Sukkur Airport on December 28 at 1:20 a.m. Both her children and her husband travelled with her body. Earlier they reached Chaklala Air Base by a special flight to get her body.[4] Mourners from all over Pakistan made their way to Larkana to take part in the funeral ceremony for the former Prime Minister. The family delivered the body to its site of burial via helicopter. Bhutto was laid to rest beside her father in the family tomb.[52]
Aftermath
Riots
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Karachi_rioting_aftermath.jpg/220px-Karachi_rioting_aftermath.jpg)
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After Bhutto's death, supporters wept and broke the hospital's glass doors, threw stones at cars, and reportedly chanted "Dog, Musharraf, dog" outside the hospital, referring to President Musharraf.[22][4] Others attacked police and burned election campaign posters and tyres.[53] Some opposition groups said that the assassination could lead to civil war, and other commentators said that the upcoming elections would likely be postponed.[54]
Demonstrations were widespread in Pakistan with police using tear gas and batons to break up angry demonstrations in Peshawar.[4] Some protesters torched the billboards of Musharraf, firing in the air and screaming. Protests in Multan also had protesters burning tyres and blocking traffic. Similar scenes were witnessed in Karachi, Bhutto's hometown.[55] Police in Sindh were put on red alert.[56] Two police officers were shot in Karachi during the riots following the assassination.[57]
Musharraf ordered a crack down on rioters and looters to ensure safety and security.[46] The Pakistan Rangers announced shoot-on-sight orders against anyone inciting violence or arson, although attempts to avoid direct confrontation were maintained. On December 28, the riots deteriorated, especially in the Sindh Province, the homeground of Bhutto. Foreign outlets, trains, banks and vehicles were destroyed or burnt and protesters took over the streets, chanting slogans and setting tires on fire in several cities. At least 47 people died in the riots.[58] Rioters destroyed 176 banks, 34 petrol stations and hundreds of cars and shops.[58]
Pakistan Peoples Party
Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, read her instructions on the future of the Pakistan Peoples Party on December 30.[59] He was appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party on December 30, 2007 in accordance with his mother's wish,[60] and his father will be co-chairman.[61] Ghinwa Bhutto, the sister-in-law of Benazir Bhutto, stated that she would try to convince Bilawal to defect to her breakway party, Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto), which is named in honour of Murtaza Bhutto.[62]
Elections and electoral fraud report
Pakistan's election commission met on December 31 to decide whether or not to delay the January elections; two days before they hinted that they would need to because pre-election preparation had been "adversely affected".[63] A senior election commission official subsequently announced that the election would be delayed until "the later part of February".[64]
Senator Latif Khosa, one of Bhutto's top aides, reported that she was planning to divulge evidence of fraud in the upcoming election following the event where the assassination took place. The pair co-wrote a 160-page dossier on the subject, with Bhutto outlining tactics she alleged would be put into play, including intimidation, excluding voters and fake ballots being planted in boxes. The report was titled Yet another stain on the face of democracy.
In a statement he made on the January 1, 2008, Khosa said:
The state agencies are manipulating the whole process, there is rigging by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), the Election Commission and the previous government, which is still continuing to hold influence. They were on the rampage.[65]
Khosa said that they had planned to give the dossier to two American law-makers on the evening of her assassination and release it publicly soon after that. One of the claims in the dossier was that US financial aid had been secretly misappropriated for electoral fraud and another was that the ISI has a 'mega-computer' which could hack into any other computer and was connected to the Election Commission's system. A spokesman for President Musharraf called the claims "ridiculous".[65]
In the run up to the election, the 'sympathy vote' was considered crucial for the Pakistan Peoples Party, which was expected to win the National Assembly.[66][67] The election results yielded a majority for the Pakistan Peoples Party in the National Assembly, and in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.[68]
Economy
Following a three-day shut-down, the benchmark index, the KSE100 index, of the Karachi Stock Exchange fell 4.7 percent. The rupee fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar since October 2001.[69] The stock exchange has a history of recovering after political unrest.[70] The Pakistan Railways suffered losses of PKR 12.3 billion as a direct result of riots following the assassination.[71] 63 railway stations, 149 bogies, and 29 locomotives were damaged within two days of Bhutto's death.[72] In the first four days after the assassination, Karachi suffered losses of $1 billion (USD).[71] By the fifth day, the cost of country wide violence amounted to 8% of the GDP.[73] The assassination had an impact on financial markets worldwide, resulting in a fall of 1.7% across stock indexes in Australia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and New Zealand.[74]
Responsibility
On December 27, al-Qaeda commander Mustafa Abu al-Yazid is said to have claimed responsibility for the assassination, telling several news outlets that "We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahideen."[75] In his statement to the media, he further claimed that al-Yazid stated that al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the killing in October 2007.[76] Asia Times Online also reported that it had received a claim of responsibility from al-Yazid by telephone.[77] U.S. intelligence officials have said that they cannot confirm this claim of responsibility.[78] Nonetheless, U.S. analysts have said that al-Qaeda was a likely, or even prime suspect.[78][79] For its part, the Pakistani Interior Ministry states that it has proof that al-Qaeda was behind the assassination, stating "that the suicide bomber belonged to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi – an al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim militant group that the government has blamed for hundreds of killings".[35][80] The Interior Ministry also claimed to have intercepted a statement by militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, said to be linked to al-Qaeda, in which he congratulated his followers for carrying out the assassination.[81][82] On December 29 a Mehsud spokesman told the Associated Press that Mehsud was not involved in the assassination:[83] "I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don't strike women. It is a conspiracy by government, military and intelligence agencies."[84] The Pakistan Peoples Party also called the government's blame of Mehsud a diversion: "The story that al-Qaida or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's party.[83][85] On January 18, CIA Director Michael Hayden confirmed that Mehsud and his network was responsible.[86]
Others have suggested that the assassination may have been undertaken by elements within the government or Inter-Services Intelligence. Bhutto, in a letter to Musharraf written on 16 October 2007, named four persons involved in an alleged plot to kill her: current Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Ijaz Shah, former chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and the former ISI chief, Hamid Gul, as those who posed a threat to her life.[87] British newspaper The Times suggested that elements within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence with close ties to Islamists might have been behind the killing, though it asserts that Musharraf would have been unlikely to have ordered the assassination.[88] October 2007 emails from Bhutto saying she would blame Musharraf for her death if she were killed, because the Musharraf government was not providing adequate security, were also published after Bhutto's death.[89][17][90] Soon after the killing, many of Bhutto's supporters believed that the Musharraf government was involved in the assassination.[91] On December 30, Scotland on Sunday quoted MI5 sources saying that factions of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence may be responsible for the assassination.[92] Bhutto anticipated that three senior allies of President Musharraf were out to kill her in a secret email to Foreign Secretary David Miliband written weeks before her death.[93]
Reactions
Pakistani government
According to state television, Musharraf held an emergency cabinet meeting after he received word of the blast. He then addressed the nation, saying that "We shall not rest till we tackle this problem and eliminate all the terrorists. This is the only way the nation will be able to move forward, otherwise this will be the biggest obstacle to our advancement."[94] In a televised address, President Musharraf publicly condemned the killing of Bhutto, proclaiming a three-day mourning period with all national flags at half mast.[95] Mahmud Ali Durrani, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, called Bhutto's death "a national tragedy" and stated that "... we have lost one of our important, very important and, I would stress, liberal leaders."[29]
Opposition
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Nawaz_Sharif_profile.jpg/220px-Nawaz_Sharif_profile.jpg)
Nawaz Sharif was the first mainstream political leader to reach the hospital and express his solidarity with Bhutto's family and political workers.[96] He vowed to "fight your [Bhutto's] war from now on" and calling the day of her assassination the "darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country".[94][97] Despite extreme political enmity between the two leaders during the 1990s, both vowed to introduce politics of tolerance before returning from exile and had earlier signed the Charter of Democracy. After signing the charter, they said that they would work for an end to the rule of President Musharraf.[98] Earlier in the day, Nawaz Sharif's political meeting had also been shot at, resulting in the death of four people.[99] Later that day Sharif demanded that Musharraf "quit immediately" and said that the Pakistan Muslim League (N), his political party, would boycott the January elections.[100]
Chairman Imran Khan of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party strongly condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "It is a dastardly act designed to destabilise Pakistan with the government responsible for not providing her security though she was demanding it. We must fight this menace of terrorism. It is a black day in the history of Pakistan and an irreparable loss to this country," Khan said.[101]
Pakistan Peoples Party president Javaid Manzoor said, "We [Bhutto's supporters] are shocked. We are stunned. Every single one of us is mourning the loss of our leader," also stating that he believed that the next election, scheduled for January 8 would be cancelled.[22] Pakistan Peoples Party senior vice chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim later called for a 40-day period of mourning across Pakistan.[102] Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the Pakistan Peoples Party was unhappy with the government's declaration of the death coming as a result of an accident and said that the Pakistan Peoples Party wanted to see a change in the direction of the investigation. He called for an independent inquiry into the assassination by international experts. He also said that “had the government accepted our demand of conducting an inquiry into Karachi’s 18 October blast by international experts, this incident would not have happened."[103]
International reaction
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/President_and_Mrs._Bush_Extend_Condolences_Regarding_Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto%2C_Condemn_Violence.jpg/220px-President_and_Mrs._Bush_Extend_Condolences_Regarding_Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto%2C_Condemn_Violence.jpg)
Bhutto's assassination was greeted with widespread condemnation by members of the international community,[94] including Pakistan's regional neighbours Afghanistan,[94] China,[104] India,[94][105] Bangladesh,[106] and Iran.[29][94][107] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised Bhutto's efforts for the improvement of Indo-Pakistani relations.[94][105] The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting and unanimously condemned the assassination,[108] a call echoed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[109] Both European Union President José Manuel Barroso and U.S. President George W. Bush also expressed the hope that Pakistan would continue on the path of democracy.[29][94][110]
See also
References
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: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Anthony, Augustine (Reuters) (2007-12-27). "Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated in gun, bomb attack". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
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(help) - ^ Associated Press (2007-12-27). "Bhutto Assassination Throws Pakistan Into Chaos". FOX News. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b "Bhutto's Party To Decide Successor". Al Jazeera English. 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Agence France-Presse (2007-12-29). "Bhutto note on party's future to be read on Sunday: husband". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
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(help) - ^ "Bhutto's Son Given Top Party Job". Sky News. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ "Bhutto's son, husband to be co-leaders of party". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ "Rival Pakistan party wants Bhutto's son to defect". AFP. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
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(help) - ^ "Pakistan says turmoil after Bhutto death could delay vote". Agence France-Presse. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ Agence France-Presse (2008-01-01). "Pakistan election to be held in February". News.com.au. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ a b Reuters (2008-01-01). "Bhutto had 'proof' of poll-rigging plan". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
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(help) - ^ Birsel, Robert Bhutto sympathy vote seen key to Pakistan election. The Daily Mirror. February 2, 2008. Retrieved on March 7, 2008
- ^ Sappenfield, Mark (2008-02-14). "Bhutto's legacy propels Pakistan People's Party ahead of election". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
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(help) - ^ Cameron-Moore, Simon Pakistan's Musharraf could face end, analysts say. Reuters. February 19, 2008. Retrieved on March 7, 2008
- ^ "Pakistan election decision on Tuesday, stocks fall". Dawn. December 31, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
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(help) - ^ Karachi shares fall after killing. BBC News. 2007-12-31. Retrieved on March 2, 2008
- ^ a b Bhutto death is a further blow to Pakistan economy. International Herald Tribune. January 2, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2008
- ^ Yasin, Amir Railways suffer Rs 10bn loss in two days. The Daily Times. December 30, 2007. Retrieved on March 7, 2008
- ^ Violence losses amount to 8% of GDP. The Daily Times. 2008-01-12. Retrieved on 2008-03-07
- ^ Bhutto killing unsettles markets. BBC. December 28, 2007. Retrieved on March 7, 2007.
- ^ "'We assassinated America's precious asset,' boasts top al Qaeda commander". Daily Mail. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ "Pakistan: Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto's death". Adnkronos International. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Shahzad, Syed Saleem (2007-12-27). "Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto killing". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ a b Ross, Brian (2007-12-27). "U.S. Checking al Qaeda Claim of Killing Bhutto". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Mikkelsen, Randall (2007-12-27). "UPDATE 1-Al Qaeda leads suspect list in Bhutto killing". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ "U.S. suspects Taliban leader behind Bhutto plot". CNN. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Fletcher, Martin (2007-12-29). "Named: the al-Qaeda chief who 'masterminded murder'".
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ignored (help) - ^ Khan, Ashraf (2007-12-28). "Bhutto Buried As Pakistan Unrest Spreads". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b Nessman, Ravi (2007-12-29). "Pakistan militants, Bhutto aides allege government coverup in assassination". Associated Press.
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ignored (help) - ^ ""I didn't kill Benazir Bhutto"". Times Now. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ "Fighters deny Bhutto killing link". Al Jazeera English. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ "CIA boss names Bhutto's killers". BBC News. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ Shakeel, Syed Faisal (2007-12-30). "PPP demands probe based on Benazir's letter". Dawn. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
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(help) - ^ Page, Jeremy (2007-12-27). "Main suspects are warlords and security forces". The Times. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ "Bhutto Blamed Musharraf for Lack of Security". National Public Radio. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Email queries security shortfall". The Age. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
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(help) - ^ David, Ruth Bhutto Supporters Blame Musharraf. Forbes.com. Retrieved on March 1, 2008
- ^ Elias, Richard (2007-12-30). "Bhutto murder blamed on Pakistan agents". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Walters, Simon (2007-12-30). "Bhutto email named killers weeks before assassination". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h "Reactions to Bhutto assassination". BBC News. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-27. Cite error: The named reference "BBCReaction" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Qayum, Khalid (2007-12-27). "'Musharraf Condemns Bhutto's Killing, Announces 3-Day Mourning". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Saeed, Abrar (2007-12-27). "Musharraf's policies responsible: Nawaz". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ "Sharif vows to fight Bhutto's 'war'". Independent Online. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ "'Democracy charter' for Pakistan". BBC News. 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Reuters (2007-12-27). "'Four dead, several hurt in Pakistan election violence". Dawn. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Khan, Zarar (Reuters) (2006-05-15). "Sharif's Party to Boycott Elections". Brietbart. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ "A black day for Pak". Times Now. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Wasim, Amir (2007-12-27). "PPP announces 40-day mourning". Dawn.
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(help); Text "http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top4.htm" ignored (help) - ^ Raza, Syed Irfan (2007-12-28). "Govt gives new twist to probe: Al Qaeda blamed for killing". Dawn. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
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(help) - ^ "Global outrage over assassination". Al Jazeera. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ a b Chaudhury, Nilova Roy (2007-12-27). "India expresses shock, horror at Bhutto's assassination". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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(help) - ^ "World shocked at Bhutto assassination". Times of India. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
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(help) - ^ "Iranian FM strongly condemns Bhutto's assassination". Islamic Republic News Agency. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Security Council condemns suicide attack that killed former prime minister of Pakistan". United Nations. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Secretary-General 'shocked and outraged' by Bhutto assassination". United Nations. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Zakaria, Tabassum (2007-12-27). "Bush Condemns Bhutto Assassination". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
External links
- TIME: The Aftermath of an Assassination
- In pictures: Bhutto laid to rest, BBC News
- Pakistan has formally requested the United Nations to probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, News
- Assassination of Benazir Bhutto in the Newseum archive of front page images from 2007-12-28.