Former Pakistan Prime Minister and opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated today in what appears to be a suicide attack in the town of Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad. She was killed along with at least 20 others after addressing a campaign rally in the small military garrison town. Her party security adviser said she had been shot before climbing into her vehicle, and then the bomber blew up.
The primary suspects in the assassination are “Islamic militants,” whom Bhutto openly criticized during her election campaign, pledging to “root” them out.
Of course the Islamists are the likely suspects, but there are others who stand to benefit from a Bhutto assassination: President Musharraf and supporters from within the military intelligence service, for one. After all, Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed, is the power base of the Pakistani army. Curious that Ms Bhutto was assassinated in the same town that her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was hanged in 1979 after being deposed by a military coup.
And considering many previous assassinations of Pakistani politicians remain unsolved, it’s a distinct possibility (and I believe highly probable) Bhutto’s killers will never be identified.
Many are concerned Bhutto’s assassination will delay the January 8th elections. I think it will and expect President Musharraf to once again impose a state of emergency. I believe it’s inevitable–he wants this state of emergency and the authority he derives from it. Bhutto’s killing provides a convenient excuse…
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Tags: assassinate, Bhutto, Middle East, Musharraf, Rawalpindi, terroriem
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Thanks for the mention. al-qaeda is tryng to claim credit but I am not fully sure I buy that. They would do and say anything to get back in the news without a “failed” attempt.
Good piece.
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There was a tight plan here. The guy who apparently shot Mrs. Bhutto did not just get lucky, nor did he just happen to be nearby when she popped her pretty head up through the sunroof. It is highly likely that there were many men along that parade route, each carrying a handgun, each wearing a bomb. They would have been given orders that if she pops up, shoot her. I estimate that 25 to 50 men were along that parade route. They knew she loved to stand up into the sunroof and wave at the people. This particular guy suddenly found her in his “Zone” and took his shot. It is preposterous to imagine that this was “an accident” as some Pakistani officials said today. No one could possible hit their head on a door frame so hard that it would kill them! This is the Pakistani government’s weak attempt to NOT blame Al Quaed, when they have already taken credit for the killing. Who believes them?
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Pingback from Pakistan Delays Elections — shyspeak.net on January 2, 2008 at 10:16 am
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