Benazir Bhutto killed in attack



Benazir Bhutto had been addressing rallies in many parts of Pakistan

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack.

Ms Bhutto - the first woman PM in an Islamic state - was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi when a gunman shot her in the neck and set off a bomb.

At least 16 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.

President Pervez Musharraf condemned the killing and urged people to remain calm. Security forces were placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.

Ms Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, and had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January.




Q&A: Bhutto assassination


It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.

Nawaz Sharif, also a former prime minister and a political rival, said her death was a tragedy for "the entire nation".

"It is not a sad day, it is [the] darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country," he said, speaking at the hospital where she was taken.

The United Nations Security Council is to meet for emergency consultations shortly to discuss the situation in Pakistan after the killing.

Scene of grief

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


Extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan


David Miliband
UK foreign secretary



International reaction
In pictures: Fatal rally
Analysis: Blow to stability


Police confirmed reports Ms Bhutto had been shot in the neck and chest before the gunman blew himself up.

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

Some supporters at the hospital wept while others broke into anger, throwing stones at cars and breaking windows.

Protesters in Karachi, capital of the PPP's heartland province of Sindh, started fires in the streets and demonstrations were reported in the north-western city of Peshawar and other cities.

Mr Sharif said there had been a "serious lapse in security" by the government.
But an old friend of Ms Bhutto, Salman Tassir, told the BBC World Service he did not think criticism should be directed at the government.

"There have been suicide attacks on Gen Musharraf also," he told Newshour.
"I mean it is extremism and the fanatics who are to blame."

Earlier on Thursday, at least four people were killed ahead of an election rally Mr Sharif had been preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.

Ms Bhutto's death has plunged the PPP into confusion and raises questions about whether January elections will go ahead as planned, the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says.

'Cowardly act'

The killing was condemned by India, the US, the UK and others.

Protesters set vehicles on fire in the streets of Lahore


"The subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

US President George W Bush condemned a "cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy".

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "extremist groups... [could] not and must not succeed".

BENAZIR BHUTTO
Father led Pakistan before being executed in 1979
Spent five years in prison
Served as PM from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996
Sacked twice by president on corruption charges
Formed alliance with rival ex-PM Nawaz Sharif in 2006
Ended self-imposed exile by returning to Pakistan in October
Educated at Harvard and Oxford



Obituary: Benazir Bhutto
Life in pictures


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
He had granted an amnesty that covered the court cases she was facing.

But relations with Mr Musharraf soon broke down.

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

Rawalpindi, the nerve centre of Pakistan's military, is seen as one of the country's most secure cities.

It was only a matter of time before the darker forces... carried out this action


Helen Stynes
Swaffham



Have your say


Many analysts say attacks like those on Thursday show the creeping "Talebanisation" of Pakistan.

Radical Muslims calling for Islamic law, and fiercely opposed to the US, have become increasingly active in Pakistani politics in recent years, analysts say.

Very Sad, it looks like anytime some progress tries to happen some one decides to do a suicide bombing and halt progress.

That all depends on your definition of 'progress'. Many Islamic states (or many other countries/continents for that matter) do not feel 'westernization', or 'Americanization' as some call it, is 'progress'. The extremists do cloud the world's perspective regarding Islam and Muslims in general, but that doesn't mean that the non-extremist Muslims were necessarily in complete agreement with the process either... It's all a big mess of dirty business and hasn't been washed out in millennia.

Since I joined the community, and now returned, I've always respected your keeping up with current world events Adam. Sadly, this news is a severe blow to the people of Pakistan and the world community. Ms. Bhutto was truly her fathers legacy. They both had the hearts of the people. She was a symbol of progress in the region. Among other things, showing that the people of the region were willing to move beyond the dogma's cast on women.