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The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-90; 1993-96) and, at the time of her death, leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, occurred on 27 December 2007. Bhutto was shot in the neck and chest by an assassin who then detonated a suicide bomb as she was leaving a rally in the Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi. She was campaigning ahead of elections due in January 2008. She was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 GMT), en route to Rawalpindi General Hospital. At least 21 people were confirmed dead in the aftermath; other conflicting reports indicate 22 bodies found at the scene. Two months earlier, a similar attempt on her life had been unsuccessful.

Background

Bhutto had opted for self-exile while her cases remained pending in the Pakistani and foreign courts. 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.

She survived an assassination attempt made on her life during this homecoming which left 139 people dead and hundreds wounded. En route to a rally in Karachi on 18 October 2007, two explosions occurred shortly after Bhutto had landed and left Jinnah International Airport returning from her exile. Bhutto was not injured, but the explosions, later found to be a suicide-bomb attack, killed 139 people and injured at least 450. The dead included at least 50 of the security guards from her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who had formed a human chain around her truck to keep potential bombers away, as well as 6 police officers. A number of senior officials were injured. Bhutto was escorted unharmed from the scene.

Details

Benazir Bhutto had just addressed a rally of PPP supporters in the city of Rawalpindi when the rally was rocked by a blast. Bhutto was said to have been leaving the rally when the attack occurred. Current police reports state that one or more assassins fired at Bhutto's SUV just as she was about to drive off after the rally; when the assassin(s) appeared to have failed, the suicide bomber detonated next to her vehicle. The Pakistani Interior Ministry reported that Benazir Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. According to various reports in the media, it is possible that the same attacker when confronted by Bhutto's security detail blew himself up.

Rehman Malik, a security adviser for the Party, suggested that the killer opened fire as Bhutto left the rally, hitting her in the neck and chest, before detonating the explosives he was wearing. Malik blamed the government for failing to protect Bhutto. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, also stated that her injuries could have been caused by pellets packed in the bomb which acted as shrapnel. One photographer said that Bhutto was standing through her SUV's sunroof to wave at supporters, and fell back inside after two gunshots.

Bhutto was taken unconscious to the Rawalpindi General Hospital. Although PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Bhutto was safe, she was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 GMT). 16-20 other people were killed in the attack at the park Liaquat National Bagh where Bhutto had attended the rally.

Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh Park is named for Pakistan's first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan, who was assassinated in the same location in 1951.

Aftermath

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. Others attacked police and burned election campaign posters and tires. Some opposition groups said that the assassination could lead to civil war, and other commentators said that the upcoming elections will likely be postponed.

Demonstrations were widespread in Pakistan with police using tear gas and batons to break up angry demonstrations in Peshawar. Some protesters torched the billboards of Pervez Musharraf, firing in the air and screaming. Protests in Multan also had protesters burning tires and blocking traffic. Similar scenes were witnessed in Karachi, Bhutto's hometown. Police in Sindh have been put on red alert. The BBC broke the news that a police officer was shot dead in Karachi during the riots following the assassination.

Responsibility

On December 27 Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid, a spokesman for al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the assassination, telling Adnkronos International that "We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat mujahadeen." The article also claims that al-Yazid stated that al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the killing in October 2007. US intelligence officials have said, however, that they cannot confirm this claim of responsibility. Nonetheless, US analysts have said that Al-Qaeda was a likely, or even prime suspect.

A Times (UK) article names al-Qaeda- and Taliban-backed warlords based in Waziristan and other areas of northwestern Pakistan as likely suspects, but also points to elements within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence with close ties to Islamists as equally likely to have been behind the killing. The article also claims that President Musharraf is unlikely to have ordered the assassination. However, Bhutto herself had emailed Mark Siegel, her U.S. spokesman, lobbyist and friend, in October 2007, saying that because the Musharraf government was not providing adequate security, she would hold Musharraf responsible if she was killed. Mark Siegel had forwarded this email to Wolf Blitzer of CNN with instructions he (Blitzer) publish the email only in the event of Bhutto's death.

Reactions

Reaction in Pakistan

Government

According to state television, Musharraf held an emergency cabinet meeting after he received word of the blast; he 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." Pakistani police implored citizens to stay at home; increasing violence and rioting is expected as a direct effect of Bhutto's death.

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."

In a televised address, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf publicly condemned the killing of Bhutto, proclaiming a three-day mourning period with all national flags at half mast.

Opposition

Pakistan opposition leader Nawaz Sharif was the first mainstream political leader to reach the hospital and express his solidarity with Bhutto's family and political workers, saying that he would "fight your war from now on", that he shared the grief of "the entire nation," and that "it is not a sad day, it is a dark, darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country. Something unthinkable has happened. Something inconceivable, unthinkable has happened." 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 General Musharraf. Earlier in the day, Nawaz Sharif's political meeting had also been shot at, resulting in the death of four people. 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.

The Chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan has strongly condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "It is a dastardly act designed to destabilize 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", Imran said.

PPP president Javaid Manzoor said, "We 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 canceled. PPP Senior Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim later called for a 40-day period of mourning across Pakistan.

Bhutto's family

Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, who flew with their children from Dubai to Islamabad in the wake of his wife's death, said, "All I can say is we're devastated, it's a total shock."

International reaction

There has been widespread condemnation of the across the international community. Some of reactions are mentioned below:

•  United Nations – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, "I strongly condemn this heinous crime and call for the perpetrators to be brought to justice as soon as possible. This represents an assault on stability in Pakistan and its democratic processes." The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting and unanimously condemned the assassination.
•  European Union – European Commission President José Manuel Barroso condemned the assassination as "an attack against democracy and against Pakistan," and " that Pakistan will remain firmly on track for return to democratic civilian rule."
•  China – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said that China was "shocked at the killing of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto" and "strongly condemns the terrorist attack."
•  India – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was "deeply shocked and horrified to hear of the heinous assassination of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto. Mrs. Bhutto was no ordinary political leader, but one who left a deep imprint on her time and age. Her contributions to a previous moment of hope in India-Pakistan relations, and her intent to break India Pakistan relations out of the sterile patterns of the past, were exemplary. In her death, the sub-continent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country. The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat. My heartfelt condolences go to her family and the people of Pakistan who have suffered a grievous blow." Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he "heard with shock and horror of the death of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto,” whose “contributions to democracy, to the improvement of India-Pakistan relations, and to the restoration of normalcy within Pakistan will be an inspiration. Mrs. Bhutto was a brave and outstanding woman leader of the sub-continent. That she should fall to a barbarous terrorist attack is particularly tragic, and should strengthen our resolve to fight this scourge."
•  Russia – The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs "firmly condemned" the attack, "expressed condolences to Benazir Bhutto's relatives and loved ones" and "hoped that the Pakistani leadership will manage to take necessary steps to ensure stability in the country." Later, in a statement addressed to Pervez Musharraf, President of Russia Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to friends and relatives of the victims as well as hope that the perpetrators will be found and punished. He also commented that "orces of terrorism are challenging not only Pakistan, but the international community".
•  United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated, "Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan and this atrocity strengthens our resolve that terrorists will not win there, here or anywhere in the world." Brown further stated those responsible were "cowards, afraid of democracy" and that the British government would "work with all in the Pakistani community in Britain and elsewhere in the world, so that we can have a peaceful, and safe, and democratic Pakistan." British Foreign Secretary David Miliband released a statement saying, "In targeting Benazir Bhutto, extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan. They cannot and must not succeed. This is a time for restraint but also unity," also stating that he was "deeply shocked."
•  United States – U.S. President George W. Bush strongly condemned the assassination, urging her killers to be brought to justice. Bush also condemned the assassination as a "cowardly act by murderous extremists," and encouraged Pakistan to "honor Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life." Bush also offered some strong praise of Bhutto, noting that "she knew that her return to Pakistan earlier this year put her life at risk. Yet she refused to let assassins to dictate the course of her country." At a subsequent press briefing, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said, "Whoever perpetuated this violence was someone who was an enemy of democracy." At another press briefing at around 13:00 EST on December 27, a U.S. State Department spokesman asserted that "some kind of postponement or delay" in Pakistan’s democratic process would be "a victory" for "the extremists" who were responsible for Benazir Bhutto's assassination. He also asserted that "perhaps the best antidote to extremism is the continuation of the democratic process." He called for a "credible and transparent" investigation of the attack, and alluded to the "broad international outrage" about the incident. He also said that Bush spoke with Musharraf at 13:15 EST.

See also

• Terrorism in Pakistan
• Funeral of Benazir Bhutto
• Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan

References

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• Current events from December 2007
• 2007 in Pakistan
• 2007 crimes
• Al-Qaeda activities
• Assassinations
• Taliban
• Terrorism in Pakistan
• Terrorist incidents in 2007
• Politics of Pakistan