Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack at rally

[robert toms]

There is an interesting article by Tariq Ali (today) in the guardian.co.uk regarding the current situation in Pakistan.
It helped me with a broader understanding of Pakistani politics.

 

[Rafa]

Re: Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack at rally.

mmm interesting - "history shows" - presumably you are referring to Iraq?
I don;t think you can compare Pakistan and Iraq.

Iraq is one such example, there are many more... Palestine is another, there is also Iran, and even Indonesia to a lesser extent.

Fudamentalist Islam and democracy don't mix... generally, wherenver there is democracy in a muslim state for some reason fundamentalism takes hold...

Even indonesia is a good example... under suharto (virtual dictator)... there was no fundamentalism and it was kept in check. Once Indonesia moved toward democracy, political parties that based themselves on Islam sprung up everywhere... and get a toe hold in the mainstream.

In a democracy, where majority wins... using Islam to gain popular support is an easy way to express your views and gain power.... (just see Iran!)

Such countries need secular military rule to be stable and safe... Just like Saddam Hussien, the old Shah of Iran, etc... if Musshraf looses control of Pakistan, there is going to be trouble in the region, no doubt about that...

 

[mayk]

I do not understand people who kill innocent people. Are they MAD? Have they completely forgotton the basic principle of human life "to live and let live". I never like corrupt politicians but have respect for decent, moral and transparent ones, who dedicate their life for the well being of fellowmen .

I admire Benazir for her courage and conviction in democracy and 'rule of law' and just like any pragmatic person she thought that a stable transition from dictatorship to democracy might be the only viable option for Pakistan. People of Pakistan never disappointed the Daughter of the East, and elected her twice to become prime minister. But because of corrupt political system ( read her-husband Seriously how low can you get??), dismissed twice, by her own elected presidents.

The Military of Pakistan is very responsible and considered to be the best in muslim world .Think of it .6Million serving armed personnel!. Military in general is not corrupt, but the politician have corrupted the military and the lure of power has deviated some of the generals to force their version of 'Rule of Law' on the people of pakistan. First it was General Ayub( 1958), led be Yahya(1970) ( who subsequently devided the country in Pakistan and bangaladesh) followed by General Zia(1978), on whose foot steps now musharraf(1999) is walking.

First time in the turbulwent history of pakistan an independent judiciary was 'trying' to give the well chersihed freedom to the people of pakistan and was dismissed twice by the president Musharraf. He now seem to be out of touch with reality and is only considering ways to keep himself in power. Well the pharase "Power Corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" fit here.

This is the perfect time to announce emergency, not the time when he wanted to oust the judges because musharraf was not happy with them... Now government building are set alight , now is the time to act swiftly and protect government installation and people property. Musharraf and his so called advisors will be blamed for pushing pakistan to a point of no return.


Having said that all is not lost in Pakistan. Now some young blood ( Imran Khan anyone?) might appear and lead pakistan. Might be a turning point in the history of pakistan and we might see an end to military rule and draconion dictatorship in Pakistan.

 

[2020hindsight]

I notice that (after the last near miss a coupla months back) she left a note to be opened on the event of her death....
that should she die, it would be because Musharraf had not responded to her requests for adequate protection


Then there's the chances of the aussies touring Pakistan?
anyone wanna bet that it won't be called off? -
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/28/2128456.htm?section=justin

CA holds off on Pakistan decision
Posted 2 hours 27 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 36 minutes ago

Cricket Australia (CA) says it will wait until February to make a decision on whether the team will travel to Pakistan for a planned tour in March.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the sports body should think seriously before touring the troubled nation.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland says the death of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is tragic, but no decision has been made about the tour.

"We'll be taking all of the necessary advice ahead of that tour, such that we know exactly whether it's appropriate or not to be taking that visit," he said.

"Those tours have gone ahead in the past without a hitch and I expect that to be the same."

Sutherland says right now a neutral venue, or a move for the tour to be played in Australia, is not under consideration.

"We [have made] a comittment to tour Pakistan and we'll be pursuing every avenue that we can to ensure that it's appropriate for the tour to go ahead," he said.

"Ultimately whether we play in a neutral venue is not really a matter for Cricket Australia anyway, it's a matter for Pakistan Cricket Board."

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed said the sport's governing body would also monitor the situation and conduct its own investigation.

"The first step is the country that is to visit, as Australia is to visit in March, will carry out their own investigation," Speed said.

"If things are not suitable and if Pakistan do not defer or agree to play elsewhere, the ICC will carry out an independent investigation.

"We need to wait and see how things settle down...there will be no decisions in the next week or next month."

Speed said a neutral venue would be sought before the ICC deferred the series.


Cricketers 'not in danger'

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, who is in Australia acting as a television commentator, said he expected the political situation to calm down after the January 8 elections and he doubted international sides would be targeted.

"If I had to go straight away probably I'd wait until the elections and then after that everything would definitely settle down, that's for sure," he told AAP.

"As far as sport's concerned, they all love their sport in Pakistan.

"They're not going to harm anyone as far as international sports people are concerned."

 

[2020hindsight]

THis from 3 weeks ago ...... well I guess the assassins then could have been some political opposition - then again it could as easily have been the military yes? (who are after all a political opposition , and looking in the face of a whipping according to recent polls - always assuming free and fair elections of course)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/08/2113506.htm

Three Bhutto party workers shot dead in Pakistan
Posted Sat Dec 8, 2007 7:30pm AEDT

Gunmen shot dead three workers of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's opposition party in a pre-dawn attack in south-west Pakistan amid campaigning for January polls, police said.

The shooting occurred in the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) office in Naseerabad district, 240 kilometres east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, local police officer Maula Dad said.

"Unidentified men entered the PPP office and sprayed bullets on men sleeping there, killing three of them and injuring another," he said.

Police said it could be linked to old rivalry between two groups locked in a land dispute, one supporting the PPP and the other backing rival candidate for the January 8 general elections.

Pakistan is headed towards elections as security forces are waging a campaign against terrorism and militancy particularly in the north-western part of the country.

Ms Bhutto's homecoming in October after eight-year self imposed exile was marred by two bombings that killed around 140 people among a mammoth crowd that welcomed her in the southern port city of Karachi.

 

[2020hindsight]

that wiki website on her now claims that AQ have claimed responsibility:-
allegedly AQ said so by a phonecall to Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto

She was assassinated on 27 December 2007, in a combined shooting and suicide bomb attack during a political rally of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi.[3] Eyewitnesses to the assassination stated to various news agencies that Bhutto had stood up through the sunroof of the white Toyota Land Cruiser that ferried her to the rally[4] to wave at supporters who were cheering her.

It was then a "thin man" on a motorcycle, carrying an AK-47 rifle, fired two shots, one into Bhutto's neck, and she collapsed, falling down into the vehicle.[4][5] Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital where she died at 6:16 p.m. local time (13:16 GMT). The gunshot to the neck was reported as the cause of death, according to the Pakistani Interior Ministry.[6]

An Al-Qaida leader based in Afghanistan was reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.[7] Her burial is due to take place in her hometown in Larkana, Sind, next to her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's grave.[8]

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070037061&ch=12/28/2007 8:21:00 AM

Friday, December 28, 2007 (Washington)
An Al-Qaida leader based in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the assassination of former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto, whom he described as ''the most precious American asset.''

''We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat (the) 'mujahadeen','' al-Qaida Commander and spokesman Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told the Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location.

Al-Yazid was described by AKI as the ''main al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan''. It reported that the decision to kill Bhutto was made by al-Qaida No. two, Ayman al-Zawahiri in October.

The report said death squads were allegedly constituted for the mission and one cell comprising a ''Punjabi volunteer'' of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi killed Bhutto.

Bhutto died after being shot by a suicide attacker, who later blew himself up near her armoured vehicles just after she had addressed an election rally at Rawalpindi near here.

The blast killed nearly 30 people.....

 

[vishalt]

Sad day for humanity.

 

[2020hindsight]

''We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat (the) 'mujahadeen','' al-Qaida Commander and spokesman Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told the Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location.

why is it that these alleged quotes by AQ never seem to make sense ....??

so Musharraf isn't as much a threat to the mujahadeen as Bhutto? - what? is he soft of terror?

 

[numbercruncher]

I would assume Bhutto appealed to and vowed to help the poor and uneducated, exactly the people AQ easily recruit.

Not to mention a FEMALE pro democracy president? Yah sure Islamists would tolerate that

 

[chops_a_must]

why is it that these alleged quotes by AQ never seem to make sense ....??

so Musharraf isn't as much a threat to the mujahadeen as Bhutto? - what? is he soft of terror?

Yeah, he's allowed the Taliban to control a few areas in Pakistan.

Didn't yogi predict some important leader dieing? Hmmm, anyway, I predict an old, much loved Australian codger will die in the next month. :

What a shame that this lady dies. She must have known this was quite inevitable though.

Was quite a looker in the 80s. I wonder if she has any daughters...

 

[2020hindsight]

I would assume Bhutto appealed to and vowed to help the poor and uneducated, exactly the people AQ easily recruit.

Not to mention a FEMALE pro democracy president ? yah sure Islamists would tolerate that

maybe you're right m8, (the entrenched gender injustice you reckon)
then again, maybe the Pakistan military made that phonecall
and of course the AQ are mad enough to kill anybody - including blowing up those of their own faith.

but after some of the stuff that came out after JFK and other assassinations, I wouldn't doubt anything.

Yeah, he's allowed the Taliban to control a few areas in Pakistan..

bludy marvelous !
now to see if there's an element of doubt/suspicion expressed by any of the authorities.

Gotta be a major setback for the good guys anyways

share market getting edgy I notice.

 

[numbercruncher]

Oh yeah, there would be absolutely no shortage of suspects and motives in this!


Could even be a wildcard solo operator, the scariest of them all!

 

[noirua]

Recent reports show that Benazir Bhutto was killed due to the force of the explosion, when she was thrown against an obstruction that was part of the sun/moon roof.

 

[2020hindsight]

the assassinations appear to be "bi-partisan"

maybe the only reason Musharraf survives is the security he ensures for himself ...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/28/2128571.htm?section=justin

Pro-Musharraf candidate killed in blast: police
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:01pm AEDT

A blast at an election meeting in Pakistan's troubled north-west has killed three people, including a candidate for the party that supports President Pervez Musharraf, police said.

"The blast took place at a meeting of the PML(Q) [Pakistan Muslim League]," police officer Mohammad Iqbal said.

"The candidate and two of his supporters were killed."
The blast occurred in the Swat Valley.

 

[2020hindsight]

Recent reports show that Benazir Bhutto was killed due to the force of the explosion, when she was thrown against an obstruction that was part of the sun/moon roof.

interesting noi, that announcement on her cause of death says the bullets missed -

a) the bloke is no more that a couple of feet away ! - how could he miss??
b) and also if you watch CNN long enough, (after they "clarify" with the sunroof lever theory) they go on give an (earlier) article where a doctor (named) describes two bullet wounds, one entering her neck hitting her spine, going into her head etc

Here's that photo - shows the pistol (just inline with the right hand side of that white arch in the background) - about 2 feet behind her head. The gunman appears to be riding on the back of her car. And Benazir Bhutto is just left of the frame by a whisker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto
Wiki likewise continues to run the two theories..

Though early reports indicated that she had been hit by shrapnel or the gunshots,[5][6][7] the Pakistani Interior Ministry stated that Bhutto was not hit by either, and that she died of a skull fracture sustained when she hit the sunroof of the vehicle due to the force of the explosion.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry reported that Benazir Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck.

CNN now reporting on the confusion...
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/bhutto.death/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

How did Pakistan's Bhutto die?
Conflicting reports about what caused the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are fueling questions about the circumstances of her assassination.

Benazir Bhutto died Thursday after a suicide bombing at a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Bhutto's political party disputed official versions of the incident, accusing the government of lying. Video footage of Thursday's attack on Bhutto contains a murky shot of a hand firing a pistol three times, but the Pakistani government said Bhutto -- who was standing through her vehicle's sunroof -- was not hit.

The latest explanation Friday by Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Bhutto, 54, died from a fractured skull after hitting her head on a piece of the vehicle.

Immediately following the gunfire, a suicide bomber ignited explosives near Bhutto's motorcade. Watch the video »

An Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, said Bhutto "fell down or perhaps ducked" and apparently hit her head on a lever connected to the car's sunroof. Cheema added that the lever was stained with blood.

Cheema's version of events conflicts with that of the government-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan, which at first quoted the Interior Ministry as saying shrapnel from the bomb blast killed Bhutto. The suicide bomb killed more than 20 others, and at least 100 were wounded.

On Thursday, an initial report from the Interior Ministry said Bhutto died of a gunshot wound to the neck.

Personally I would believe the bullet ....
and that they are "trying to deny her a martyr's death" ..

Farzana Raja of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said the government's explanation is "a pack of lies," and she offered another explanation. "It was a sniper shooting," she said, also accusing the government of a "total security lapse."

CNN national security analyst Ken Robinson, who worked in U.S. intelligence in Pakistan during the Clinton administration, said he suspects Bhutto's enemies are attempting to control her legacy by minimizing the attack's role in her demise.

"They're trying to deny her a martyr's death, and in Islam, that's pretty important," Robinson said.

 

[noirua]

the assassinations appear to be "bi-partisan"

maybe the only reason Musharraf survives is the security he ensures for himself ...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/28/2128571.htm?section=justin

Welllll, I think Musharref is the only hope now and he will probably allow the election to go ahead and tie up some agreement with Benazir Bhuttos' successor. This would achieve his certain survival and allow some dealings behind the scenes with the Americans and a big excuse to bash the terrorists with American support.

 

[2020hindsight]

interesting noi, that announcement on her cause of death says the bullets missed -

a) the bloke is no more that a couple of feet away ! - how could he miss??
b) and also if you watch CNN long enough, (after they "clarify" with the sunroof lever theory) they go on give an (earlier) article where a doctor (named) describes two bullet wounds, one entering her neck hitting her spine, going into her head etc

..........
Personally I would believe the bullet ....
and that they are "trying to deny her a martyr's death" ..

Just to confirm that distance....

Incidentally, the zoomed out photo is taken with a different camera.... you see the same bloke (with dark hair - as if there are any blondes in Pakistan) - riding at the back of the car - and the rectangle indicates the distance from the assassin (when he got on the car with the other bloke) and Benazir... - no less than a couple of feet. - no question he woulld have hit her (imo)

 

[2020hindsight]

Also , lol - notice how quickly (in that "lever theory" version) the video skips over where the assassin is standing -
and official govt spokesman !!!
showing the final verdict of how she died!!
and , lol - not bothering to show you a clear image of the pistol ???

instead the camera pans past him at "blurr-speed"
they are so full of bs it's not funny.

THIS video shows much more detail... (the frame should look like the photo in frame #35 - with discussion in background)
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/bhutto.death/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

THe second video (these all follow each other on CNN as you know) is the BS version. The footage of the incident (in that video) should look like the photo in the previous post... It will quickly blurr across the gunman for instance...

Notice also he gets mixed up about the lever on the left side hitting her (he indicates his left temple) and "hit her on her right side" - sorry bud , but you are making it up !! unless of course you can't tell left from right.

 

[noirua]

Also , lol - notice how quickly (in that "lever theory" version) the video skips over where the assassin is standing -
and official govt spokesman !!!
showing the final verdict of how she died!!
and , lol - not bothering to show you a clear image of the pistol ???

instead the camera pans past him at "blurr-speed"
they are so full of bs it's not funny.

THIS video shows much more detail...
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/bhutto.death/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

With the car moving on what was probably a bumpy road it may have been more difficult than you think.

It does seem certain that she failed to obey instructions on leaving the secure area and remain inside the vehicle.

I suppose we are all guilty of delayed action. If the speed limit drops, so should we have reduced speed at the sign, not 10 or 20 metres after it.

 

[2020hindsight]

With the car moving on what was probably a bumpy road it may have been more difficult than you think.

It does seem certain that she failed to obey instructions on leaving the secure area and remain inside the vehicle.

I suppose we are all guilty of delayed action. If the speed limit drops, so should we have reduced speed at the sign, not 10 or 20 metres after it.

noi
not sure where you're going there (??)

I assume you agree
a) that she was shot by someone riding on the back of her car from no more than 2 feet
b) that earlier CNN footage discusses the detail of a bullet wound to her neck
c) the govt spokesman skims past that particular bit of footage
d) that he downplays the bullets etc / direct violence of her death, and hence it could be argued he is trying to deny her a martyr's death?
e) that in all probability - and given the inaccuracy of what he says - he is full of politically motivated bs.

PS when I said it pans past the gunman - it appears to be edited to do so... (imo) the clip is "clipped" as they say.