Benazir Bhutto dead after suicide bomb attack (Condolences thread)

[Saj]

A suspected suicide attack at a rally of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has left at least 15 people dead, police say.
A PPP spokesman has told the BBC that Ms Bhutto was injured. It is not clear how badly. She had just addressed the rally in the town of Rawalpindi.

National and provincial assembly elections are due on 8 January.

In October some 130 people were killed in an attack on Ms Bhutto's cavalcade when she returned to the country.

It was one of the worst incidents of violence in a year of deteriorating security in Pakistan.

Thursday's blast happened at one of the entrance gates to the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi.

PPP spokesman Farahtullah Babar said Ms Bhutto was only some 50 metres away when the bomb exploded, the Associated Press news agency reports. "She had just crossed the gate when we heard a deafening sound."

Mr Babar said that Ms Bhutto was safe, but subsequently PPP party members have said that Ms Bhutto was injured in the blast and taken to hospital.

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

When Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October, her cavalcade was hit by a double suicide attack that left some 130 dead.

The PPP has the largest support in the country.

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

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161489.stm

 

[Uzi]

Benazir Bhutto critically wounded after suicide bomb attack.

15 people killed so far in blast in Rawalpindi.

Bhutto undergoing emergency surgery.

(sky news)

 

[Saj]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1298475,00.html

 

[pak4life]

do these people not learn - what was the point of this rally.

 

[Saudi]

Shes dead

 

[Uzi]

Breaking news- Bhutto has died according to AP news agency.

 

[Solid Snake]

Just heard it as well, injuries were more serious than thought.

 

[Underworld57]

what a shock! very dirty politics

 

[UP]

OMG Inna Lilahi Wainna Illahi Rajiyoon

 

[UP]

guys its only 10 mins drive away from my home where blast happened and I can tell you everything here has just gone mad

 

[Easa]

Umair, is your family okay and how bad was the blast?

Absolutely shocking news!

 

[pak4life]

let the carnage begin - What will become of pakistan

 

[OZGOD]

That's terrible news. Irrespective of whether or not you follow her politics, this type of stuff just shouldn't happen.

On another note, hope that none of our members in Rawalpindi were caught up in that suicide attack. My prayers are with you guys and your country.

Any news on who was responsible? Some government spokesman (Tariq Azim Khan, the Information Minister) is saying it was Taliban/extremist elements, but who knows.

Be safe guys.

 

[Easa]

Apparently her car was shot at 5 times and one bullet caught her on the neck, before the suicide blast.

Rawalpindi must be in tatters right now..

 

[UP]

yaar Easa my Uncle Malik Amir Fida Paracha who is also standing in elections for something MNA was standing right beside Benazir Bhutto during the rally but thank god he is alright.

 

[UP]

several members from my house were present at the rally and luckily none of them is hurt.

 

[Indieview]

Really terrible news .. hope PP'ers and their family members in Rawalpindi are safe ...

 

[KB]

Absolutely shocking.

Whatever you think of her and her politics, this is a terrible and shameful act.

Yet another grim and sad day in Pakistan.

 

[Solid Snake]

Thanks for the kind words oz, I completely agree with you. I was hardly a fan of bhutto, but these things really shouldn't be happening, and think of all those innocent who were simply at the rally...

Ina lilahi wa Inailihi Rajioon.

 

[Saj]

I've never been her biggest fan, but nobody should perish in this way.

Terrible, terrible news.

 

[Kashif]

Inna Lillah wa inalahi rajeoon. May the country recover from yet another political chaos.

 

[Rana]

innalillah...

Just as you thought that the Year would end in peace, this happens!

This is definetly a sign from God Almaighty!

 

[UP]

I didnt went to the rally but blast was so loud that you could hear it from quite distance.

 

[MIG]

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Illahi Rajiyoon.

Khuda Hafiz Ms Bhutto.

We pray for her Maghfirat as we would for any other Muslim.

 

[UP]

very sad day in Pakistan

 

[nazimcricket]

Holy crap ... unbelievable news!! I guess Musharraf will have to call martial law and send the army on to the streets or something.

 

[Uzi]

She was shot in the neck and the chest when getting into her car and then the gunman blew himself up.

 

[UP]

Rawalpindi is in tatters right now and I cant tell you guys in words how bad it is here

 

[Uzi]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon

 

[Fawad]

I've never been her biggest fan, but nobody should perish in this way.

Terrible, terrible news.

My sentiments exactly, shocking news.

 

[Rudi hater]

I was never a supporter of Bhutto but I didn't wish her to go this way. I would have rather seen her go through a ballot box. Anyway, I pray that Allah fogives her also pray for his family.

 

[Rudi hater]

Rawalpindi is in tatters right now and I cant tell you guys in words how bad it is here

whats happening?

 

[Legendary_Sage]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon

 

[Ralync]

...

 

[UP]

electricity has gone down here in Rawalpindi but surprisingly not in my area

 

[161]

 

[Rudi hater]

electricity has gone down here in Rawalpindi but surprisingly not in my area

Thats nothing new. It happens all the time in Pakistan.

 

[UP]

my chachoos close friend has died due to this balst

 

[nazimcricket]

my chachoos close friend has died due to this balst

That is terrible. Please accept my condolences.

 

[Rudi hater]

Our condolences to the grieving families.

 

[pakistani_banda]

this is very bad for pakistan

 

[pakistani_banda]

I was never a supporter of Bhutto but I didn't wish her to go this way. I would have rather seen her go through a ballot box. Anyway, I pray that Allah fogives her also pray for his family.

uve taken the words out of my mouth. nobody deserve to die like she died.

 

[jusarrived]

this is really sad .....

 

[Awesome Anjum]

What is happening to our country. Never a fan of hers, but this is difficult to digest.

 

[UP]

whats happening?

People are burning tires, blocking roads.....very bad situation here right now

 

[JustAnotherFan]

Benazir Bhutto killed

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2243832,00.html

27/12/2007 15:28 - (SA)

Rawalpindi - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has died.

Bhutto was wounded in a gun and suicide bomb attack and later underwent emergency surgery.

The attack occurred after an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi, a party security official and police said.

A Reuters witness at the scene said he heard two shots moments before the blast.

"As party leaders, including Bhutto, started coming out a man tried to go close to them and then he fired some shots and blew himself up," said Yaseen, a police officer, at the scene.

Police said about 15 people had been killed in the blast.

Earlier, party officials said Bhutto was safe.

A Reuters witness said he saw about eight bodies on a road as well as a mutilated human head.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson said initial reports suggested it was a suicide bombing and more than 10 people had been killed.

A suicide bomber killed nearly 150 people in an attack on Bhutto on Oct. 18 as she paraded through the southern city of Karachi after returning home from eight years in self-imposed exile.

 

[The_Cricket_Devil]

The state of affairs continue to get worse in Pakistan and another has needlessly perished.

My condolences with all who have lost someone.

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Illahi Rajiyoon

 

[Rudi hater]

People are burning tires, blocking roads.....very bad situation here right now

in other words they don't care about innocent people on the streets. I hate it when people start destrying properties and causing disruption rather than following a peacful path.. we are only causing damage to ourselves.

 

[pakistani_banda]

benazir was my khala's friend. benazir was my khala's senior in school.

 

[UP]

Benazir Bhutto came to my uncles house for dinner 3 weeks ago and sadly she is not with us anymore.

 

[Joseph K.]

Just phoned my Mum and she told me that Benazir's death is confirmed on the Ptv. Many of the mobile phone networks are not working, nobody knows what's happening. There are demonstrations going on in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad are sealed off. This is absolutely horrible. Another twist in our tormented political history.

 

[alexjohn_tcr]

This is shocking !! Her father was also killed in a suicide attack years back??

 

[UP]

This is shocking !! Her father was also killed in a suicide attack years back??

No, I think her father was hanged.

 

[jusarrived]

this is wer the army can play a role b4 the situation gets worse .....hope people don turn voilent now !

 

[SameerM]

**** happens.

may she be granted a place in jannat, ameen

 

[faisalm]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7161590.stm


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

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

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

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

She had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January.

The BBC's Barbara Plett says the killing is likely to provoke an agonised response from her followers, especially from her loyal following in Sindh Province.

The PPP has the largest support of any party in the country.

Scene of grief

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

Scene from the blast
The blast caused carnage

Wasif Ali Khan, a member of the PPP who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital, said she died at 1816 (1316 GMT).

Supporters at the hospital began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog", referring to President Pervez Musharraf, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Some broke the glass door at the main entrance to the emergency unit as others wept.

A man with a PPP flag tied around his head could be seen beating his chest, the agency adds.

An interior ministry spokesman, Javed Cheema, was quoted as saying by AFP that she may have been killed by pellets packed into the suicide bomber's vest.

However, AP quoted a PPP security adviser as saying she was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her vehicle, before the gunman blew himself up.

Return from exile

The killing was condemned by the US and Russia, and a statement is expected shortly from the UK.

The killing undermined reconciliation in Pakistan, the US state department said.

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

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

Since her return relations with Mr Musharraf had broken down.

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

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



She only has herself to blame, she was living comfortably outside Pakistan and made a conscious decision to go back and increase tension.

 

[Hasan]

A very said day for Pakistan, and one where the country stands on the brink of complete chaos breaking out. It is most likely and probably best that an state of emergency be declared again otherwise you will see major clashes across Pakistan.

The radical Islamic groups have got their wish and the country is falling apart.


God help us all

 

[pakistani_banda]

No, I think her father was hanged.

ya he was hanged

 

[UP]

there are so many demonstrations going on here in Rawalpindi, electricity is down except my area, mobile phones network is down..... very sad

 

[Big Daddy]

she was shot in the neck , wow sherry is critical

 

[Rudi hater]

Benazir Bhutto came to my uncles house for dinner 3 weeks ago and sadly she is not with us anymore.

Thats life.....life goes on..

 

[UP]

terrible situation here in Rawalpindi cant explain in words.....

 

[Rudi hater]

she was shot in the neck , wow sherry is critical

Is Sherry Rehman injured too?

 

[Serendipity]

Inna Lillahe wa inna ilahe rajioon

as many others, not her fan but this is terrible terrible news, no person should be subjected to this kind of end. May Allah Forgive her and maghfirat farmaye.

This beloved country of ours..........I am lost for words literally and so shocked, I called a frnd in Khi who gave me this news, markets are being shut, tires are being burnt in some areas, general air of sadness, shock and fright amongst people - some showing anger, some scared, some starting blame game and some thinking all sorts, this is when Paranoia and gossip can be taken advantage by some. leadership and vision is required. Overall state of resigning to fate and in some control by law enforcement and others.

I hope the response and measures are thoughtful, objective and hard hitting without becimg a pawn or toy - it just can't go on like this.

May Allah guide us and protect Pakistan.

 

[Saj]

Calm needed from all sides here. I dont see the point in her supporters trying to smash down the hospital - its not the hospitals fault.

The army need to restore calm but try and do it in a non-provocative way.

 

[Rudi hater]

Now is the time for emergency not then.

 

[UP]

Is Sherry Rehman injured too?

Yes she is

 

[Rudi hater]

Saj, you are the first person that has broken the news to me...I was posting on cricket forum but then just saw this news.

 

[faisalm]

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilahi Rajiyoon

Didn't like her but this kind of thing shouldn't happen. I just hope now that the country doesn't slide into civil war.

 

[Rudi hater]

Yes she is

Critically???

 

[UP]

situation is really getting worse people are burning everything here

 

[UP]

Critically???

I dont know yet

 

[Serendipity]

please explain as objectively as possible when you say getting worse Umair?

 

[linuxaddict]

Thats terrible news.. Hope normalcy returns qucikly w/o much damage.

 

[UP]

Secrendipity bhai people are burning everything here in Pindi and you can hear some shots too.

 

[Big Daddy]

i think elections will be postponed now

 

[JustAnotherFan]

'This will trigger more terror'

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2243852,00.html

'This will trigger more terror'
27/12/2007 16:29 - (SA)

Rawalpindi - A party security adviser says Benazir Bhutto was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her vehicle, after which the gunman blew himself up.

The United States on Thursday condemned the attack and Russia also said that Bhutto's death could trigger a wave of terror in Pakistan.

"An act of terror is a bad sign," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, Russia's most senior Asia diplomat, told Itar-Tass news agency. "We hereby offer our condolences. This will for certain trigger a wave of terrorism."

Speaking from Islamabad, Pakistan's other opposition leader Nawaz Sharif vowed to "fight Bhutto's war from now on" and said he shared the grief of "the entire nation".

France also condemned the assassination, describing it as an "odious act".

 

[DHONI183]

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilahi Rajiyoon . An extremely sad news ....... Like most of our fellow PPers I was never a fan of hers (I´m actually a fan of no one as far as our politics is concerned) but not even in my nightmare did I wish her death.............

 

[UP]

I wanna go back I cant see this all

 

[in_cutter]

shocking and sad news...ok ppl did'nt support her, but this aint the way to solve problems. She should have been elected out