Bhutto assassination sparks violence in Pakistan

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, President Pervez Musharraf’s most powerful opponent, has thrown Pakistan into chaos just 12 days before elections. Bhutto died after gunfire and a suicide bomb attack targeted her at a campaign rally outside the Pakistani capital. As news of her death spread, angry supporters poured onto streets in several cities, burning tires and vehicles. The violence killed at least nine people and plunged efforts to restore democracy to the nuclear-armed U.S. ally into turmoil.According to differing accounts, Bhutto, 54, was shot in the neck or head, as she stood in the open sunroof of a car and waved to crowds. Seconds later a suicide attacker detonated his bomb, damaging one of the cars in her motorcade, killing more than 20 people and wounding 50, the Interior Ministry said.News of her death sent angry protesters swarming the emergency ward of the nearby hospital, where doctors declared Bhutto dead at 6:16 p.m. Supporters later jostled to carry her bare wooden coffin as it began its journey to her hometown, Larkana, in southern Pakistan, for burial. In Karachi and other cities, frenzied crowds vented their rage, blocking the streets and throwing stones.Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), had served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, and had been campaigning for the Jan. 8 election.It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months, and it came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials. Nawaz Sharif, also a former prime minister and a political rival, announced his Muslim League party would boycott the elections. He called on President Musharraf to resign, saying free and fair elections were not possible under his rule.The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session and later said it “unanimously condemned” the assassination.”Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice,” Bush said. “Mrs. Bhutto served her nation twice as prime minister, and she knew that her return to Pakistan earlier this year put her life at risk,” added Bush. “Yet she refused to allow assassins to dictate the course of her country.” Bush said the United States stands “with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the forces of terror and extremism,” and he urged Pakistanis “to honor Benazir Bhutto’s memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life.”