Fascists murder Benazir Bhutto
by hakmao, 27 December 2007
Breaking news: Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto is one of a number of people murdered by a suicide murderer in Rawalpindi.
UPDATE (Scoop): According to the New York Times:
An attack on a political rally killed the Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto near the capital, Islamabad, Thursday. Witnesses said Ms. Bhutto was fired upon before the blast, and an official from her party said Ms. Bhutto was further injured by the explosion, which was apparently caused by a suicide attacker.
At least a dozen more people were killed. “At 6:16 p.m. she expired,” said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Ms. Bhutto’s party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital where she was taken after the attack, according to The Associated Press.
UPDATE continued: See also Norm’s updated links.
UPDATE: Hitchens in Slate.
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 14:04
What a disaster.
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 17:06
The worst is that she’ll have lots of company.
Bhutto’s family is well connected and can put people in the streets pretty quickly. This has to have been a huge blunder on the aggressor’s part. They will be found out, and then there will be tribal fighting. I’m working on the assumption that the people who killed her are also the antagonists of Musharraf’s government.
What am I missing?
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 17:54
Evidence.
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 19:25
Evidence of his assertions as to the likely reaction of Bhutto’s family and followers? We shall see what happens.
If you meant evidence as to the culprits, I doubt Bhutto’s family and followers intend to wait for it.
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 21:08
The impressive thing to me is that some months ago someone tried tried to hand Bhutto a baby with a bomb on it.
Funny thing, the Washington Post added on a theory that the baby had be kidnapped for that purpose, while another paper (I can’t remember where, India maybe) had the theory that the man was handing the baby to Bhutto was her father.
Funny who spun it and how!
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 21:13
The Hitch weighs in:
http://www.slate.com/id/2180952/
Friday 28 December 2007 at 14:48
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1298521,00.html
In the Sky clips they mention riots and street demonstrations, which fit the bill, but the attack on trains and banks is not exactly par for the course of random street violence following a politicians death.
Is this a loss of control by the factions that backed Bhutto because of her very public killing, or is this Bhutto’s allies striking back? Or neither? Or both? The violence following will have a context that I can’t read. Anyone with a better eye for it?
Saturday 29 December 2007 at 14:19
By yesterday the Pakistan govt were claiming Bhutto didn’t die from gunshot wounds, as mentioned by all those closest to her on Thursday, but actually from accidentally hitting her head on the car sunroof.
In the immediate aftermath the account was that there were shots fired and the killer then blew himself up. Rawalpindi is a garrison town crawling with intelligence operatives. Whilst the Pakistan govt is keen to stress it was Al-Quaeda who did this, its an open secret about sympathisers within the Pakistan army towards Islamists etc.A New York Times article 24 Dec claims much of the money given to Gen Mussharaff for the War on Terror has actually been siphoned off to arm Pakistan against India
Since this assasination attempt was successful, it might be useful to compare and contrast with the previous reaction to the unsuccessful attempt on her life in October:
http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1466
Most of it broadly echoing this artcile from Imran Khan:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/10/21/do2101.xml
Khan is currently in Mumbai. His hopes of popular support seemed to have dissipated after he was captured by Jamaat-i-Islami students and handed over to the military.
Sunday 30 December 2007 at 4:56
Graci
Friday 4 January 2008 at 11:10
I Just Wanna say that Its a lost of our Nation.A good mind has no more.