December 27, 2007

• Benazir Bhutto has died following a suicide bombing

  

  Bhutto’s husband told Pakistani television that Bhutto was shot in the
  neck during the attack and was undergoing emergency surgery.At
  least 20 people are feared dead, police and witnesses said. An aide to
  Bhutto initially said that the former prime minister was not was not
  harmed in the blast.
  “She has been martyred,” said party offical Rehman Malik.
  
  Two shots were fired before the explosion, one of which struck Bhutto
  in the neck. This was a very precise attack.   Likely culprits? 
  Jihadists.

  In October, after Bhutto’s return to Pakistan from exile, a suicide
  attack on Bhutto’s motorcade killed more than 140 supporters.

  With elections only days away, what effect this will have on the future of Pakistan remains to be seen. I expect riots, possibly directed at perceived extremists

  While President Pervez Musharraf has promised free and fair
  parliamentary elections next month, continued instability in the tribal
  areas and the threat of attack on large crowds has kept people from
  attending political rallies and dampened the country’s political
  process.

  Campaigners from various political groups say fewer people are
  coming out to show their support due to government crackdowns and the
  threat of violence.At least 136 people were killed and more than 387
  wounded on October 18 when a suicide bomber attacked Bhutto’s
  slow-moving motorcade. The former PM returned to the country after
  eight years of self-imposed exile to a massive show of support in the
  southern port city of Karachi. Bhutto called it “an attack on
  democracy” and vowed it would not deter her political campaign.

  Today’s
  violence come less than two weeks ahead of January parliamentary
  elections and as many days after President Pervez Musharraf lifted a
  six-week-old state of emergency he said was necessary to ensure the
  country’s stability. Critics said Musharraf’s political maneuvering was
  meant to stifle the country’s judiciary as well as curb the media and
  opposition groups to secure more power

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