Wikipedia

Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

(Redirected from December 2007 Rawalpindi bombing)

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto (Urdu: بینظیر بھُٹو کا قتل) took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and then-leader of the opposition party Pakistan People's Party, had been campaigning ahead of elections scheduled for January 2008.[1][4][5] Shots were fired at her after a political rally at Liaqat National Bagh, and a suicide bomb was detonated immediately following the shooting. She was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 UTC), at Rawalpindi General Hospital. Twenty-three other people were killed by the bombing.[3] Bhutto had previously survived a similar attempt on her life (the 2007 Karsaz bombing) that killed at least 180 people, after her return from exile two months earlier. Following the event, the Election Commission of Pakistan postponed the general elections by a month, which saw Bhutto's party win.

Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
Plaque marking the spot of the assassination, written in Urdu
(Translation: Place of Martyrdom, Ms. Benazir Bhutto martyred)
LocationLiaquat National Bagh, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates33°36′26″N 73°03′49″E / 33.60722°N 73.06361°E / 33.60722; 73.06361
Date27 December 2007; 16 years ago (2007-12-27) [18:16 PKT]
TargetBenazir Bhutto
Attack type
Target killing[1]
Shooting
Suicide bombing[2]
DeathsAt least 24 (including Bhutto)[3]
Perpetratorsal-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

Though early reports indicated that she had been hit by shrapnel or the gunshots,[6][7] the Pakistani Interior Ministry initially stated that Bhutto died of a skull fracture sustained when the force of the explosion caused her head to strike the sunroof of the vehicle.[8] Bhutto's aides rejected this version of the story, and argued instead that she suffered two gunshots before the bomb detonation.[9] The Interior Ministry subsequently backtracked from its previous claim.[10] In May 2007, Bhutto had asked for additional protection from private security contractors Blackwater and ArmorGroup. An investigation of the assassination by the United Nations stated that "Ms. Bhutto's assassination could have been prevented if adequate security measures had been taken."[11]

Background

edit
 
Benazir Bhutto, September 2004

Bhutto had opted for self-exile while her court cases for corruption remained pending in foreign and Pakistani courts.[12] After eight years in exile in Dubai and London, Bhutto returned to Karachi on 18 October 2007 to prepare for the 2008 national elections, allowed by a possible power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf.[5][13]

Bhutto survived an assassination attempt in Karachi during this homecoming.[5][14][15] En route to a rally in Karachi on 18 October 2007, two explosions occurred shortly after she had landed and left Jinnah International Airport returning from her exile.[16] Bhutto was not injured, but the explosions, later found to be a suicide-bomb attack, killed 139 people and injured at least 450.[16][17] The dead included at least 50 of the security guards from her Pakistan Peoples Party, who had formed a human chain around her truck to keep potential bombers away, as well as six police officers.[18] A number of senior officials were injured. Bhutto was escorted unharmed from the scene.[18]

After the bombing Bhutto and her husband asked Musharraf for greater security, including tinted windows, jammers for bombs, private guards, and four police vehicles. These calls were echoed by three U.S. senators who wrote to Musharraf. Bhutto's supporters and the Pakistani government dispute whether or not she was provided adequate protection.[19] The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Bhutto further asked the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Britain's Scotland Yard and Israel's Mossad several weeks before the assassination to help provide for her protection. Israeli officials had not yet decided whether or not to provide aid because they did not want to upset relations with Pakistan and India.[20] Bhutto also tried to obtain private security personnel, approaching both the U.S.-based Blackwater and UK-based ArmorGroup. However, the Pakistani government refused to give visas to the foreign security contractors. Despite this, American diplomats provided Bhutto with confidential U.S. intelligence on threats against her.[21] After the assassination, President Musharraf denied that Bhutto should have received more security, saying that her death was primarily her own fault because she took "unnecessary risks" and should have exited the rally more quickly.[22]

Assassination

edit

Benazir Bhutto had just addressed a rally of Pakistan Peoples Party supporters in the city of Rawalpindi when the rally was rocked by an explosion. Initial police reports stated that one or more assassins fired at Bhutto's bulletproof white Toyota Land Cruiser just as she was about to drive off after the rally.[23] A suicide bomber detonating a bomb next to her vehicle followed.[24] According to Getty Images photographer John Moore, Bhutto was standing through her vehicle's sunroof to wave at supporters, and fell back inside after three gunshots.[7][25] The Times of India aired an amateur clip showing the assassin firing three gun shots at Bhutto before the blast.[26]

Following the incident, an unconscious Bhutto was taken to the Rawalpindi General Hospital at 17:35 local time,[27] where doctors led by Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Mohammad Musaddiq Khan tried to resuscitate her, performing a "left anterolateral thoracotomy for open cardiac massage".[28] Sadiq Khan, Mohammad Khan's father, had tried to save Liaquat Ali Khan when he was assassinated in the same park and rushed to the same hospital in 1951.[29] Although Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Bhutto was safe, she was declared dead at 18:16 local time (13:16 UTC).[5][30][31]

Cause of her death

edit
 
Memorial at the site of the assassination

Bhutto's cause of death has been much discussed and debated. Some commentators suggested that this debate was motivated by attempts to define Bhutto's legacy: perhaps Bhutto would be considered a martyr if she died by gunshot, but not if she died by hitting her head following a bomb blast.[32][33] Others asserted that the arguments against a death by gunshot were intended to blunt criticism that she was not adequately protected.[33]

Initial reports based on Pakistani Interior Ministry information reported that Bhutto was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. Rehman Malik, a security adviser for Pakistan Peoples Party, suggested that the killer opened fire as Bhutto left the rally and that he hit her in the neck and chest before he detonated the explosives he was wearing. Javed Cheema, an interior ministry, stated that her injuries were caused either by her having been shot or from pellets packed into the detonated bomb that acted as shrapnel.[34]

On 28 December, however, the cause of Bhutto's death became less clear. Pakistan's Interior Ministry announced that they now felt Bhutto's death was as a result of a neck fracture sustained when she ducked or fell into her vehicle and hit the sunroof catch immediately after the gunshots but later reported her cause of death as a skull fracture.[35][36][37] According to an Associated Press report, the Ministry stated "Bhutto was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast knocked her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull." The Ministry further added, in contradiction of the official hospital account, that Bhutto suffered no gunshot or shrapnel injuries and that all gunshots missed her.[37]

Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar rejected claims that Bhutto's death was caused by an accident. Bhutto's lawyer and a senior official in the Pakistan Peoples Party, Farooq Naik, said that the report was "baseless" and "a pack of lies".[38] He went on to support the view that the cause of death was two bullets hitting Bhutto in the abdomen and the head.[38] An anonymous Toyota official also rejected the notion that she could have even hit the lever based on its location in the car (a Toyota Land Cruiser).[39]

In statements made to Pakistan's The News, Mohammad Mussadiq Khan, one of the doctors who treated Bhutto at Rawalpindi General Hospital, described severe and depressed skull fractures, oval in overall shape, on the right side of Bhutto's head.[40] He apparently saw no other injuries and downplayed the possibility of bullet wounds,[41] although he had previously spoken of them.[42] One anonymous doctor said that Pakistani authorities took Bhutto's medical records immediately after her death, and that they told doctors to stop talking.[42]

On 31 December, Athar Minallah of the Rawalpindi General Hospital released a statement (described as "clinical notes") signed by seven persons involved in Bhutto's treatment at the hospital.[43][44][45] These persons were not pathologists and did not conduct a formal autopsy. The statement first narrates the course of treatment, from Bhutto's arrival at the hospital until she was declared dead. The second part of the statement details the head wound and notes that "Detailed external examination of the body did not reveal any other external injury". X-rays had been taken of the head wound and were interpreted in the statement. The cause of death was declared to be "Open head injury with depressed skull fracture, leading to cardiopulmonary arrest".

According to The Washington Post, the crime scene was cleared before any forensic examination could be completed and no formal autopsy was performed before burial.[46] Despite the ambiguity surrounding her death, Bhutto's husband Asif Zardari did not allow a formal autopsy to be conducted citing his fears regarding the procedure being carried out in Pakistan.[47]

On 1 January 2008, Pakistan's Interior Ministry backtracked on its statement that Benazir Bhutto had died from hitting her head on the sunroof latch. Ministry spokesman, Javed Iqbal Cheema said that the ministry would wait for forensic investigations before making a conclusion on Bhutto's cause of death.[48]

On 8 February 2008, investigators from Scotland Yard concluded that Benazir Bhutto died after hitting her head as she was tossed by the force of a suicide blast, not from an assassin's bullet. However, as quoted in an article in The New York Times: "It is unclear how the Scotland Yard investigators reached such conclusive findings absent autopsy results or other potentially important evidence that was washed away by cleanup crews in the immediate aftermath of the blast."[49] In the report, UK Home Office pathologist Nathaniel Cary said that while a gunshot wound to her head or trunk could not be entirely excluded as a possibility, "the only tenable cause for the rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effects of the bomb-blast."[50] The findings were consistent with the Pakistani government's explanation of Bhutto's assassination, an account that had been greeted with disbelief by Bhutto's supporters.

Funeral

edit

Bhutto's funeral occurred on the afternoon of 28 December 2007. Her body was moved from Chaklala Airbase in Rawalpindi to Sukkur Airport on 28 December at 01:20. Both her children and her husband travelled with her body. Earlier they reached Chaklala Air Base by a special flight to get her body.[5] Mourners from all over Pakistan made their way to Larkana to take part in the funeral ceremony for the former Prime Minister. The family delivered the body to its site of burial via helicopter. Bhutto was laid to rest beside her father in the family tomb.[51]

Aftermath

edit

Riots

edit
 
Burned buildings with broken windows in Karachi, following rioting

After Bhutto's death, supporters wept and broke the hospital's glass doors, threw stones at cars, and reportedly chanted "Dog, Musharraf, dog" outside the hospital, referring to President Musharraf.[5][24][52] Others attacked police and burned election campaign posters and tyres.[53] Some opposition groups said that the assassination could lead to civil war, and other commentators said that the upcoming elections would likely be postponed.[54]

Demonstrations were widespread in Pakistan with police using tear gas and batons to break up angry demonstrations in Peshawar.[5] Some protesters torched the billboards of Musharraf, firing in the air and screaming. Protests in Multan also had protesters burning tires and blocking traffic. Similar scenes were witnessed in Karachi, Bhutto's home city.[55] Police in Sindh were put on red alert.[56] Two police officers were shot in Karachi during the riots following the assassination.[57]

Musharraf ordered a crackdown on rioters and looters to "ensure safety and security."[58] The Pakistan Rangers announced shoot-on-sight orders against anyone inciting violence or arson, although attempts to avoid direct confrontation were maintained. On 28 December the riots escalated, especially in the Sindh Province, the homeground of Bhutto. Foreign outlets, trains, banks and vehicles were destroyed or burned and protesters took over the streets, chanting slogans and setting tires on fire in several cities. At least 47 people died in the riots.[59] Rioters destroyed 176 banks, 34 gasoline stations and hundreds of cars and shops.[59] 28 December was the first day of a general strike called by many groups, ranging from political parties to various professional groups.

Banks were attacked and the buildings were burned in many cities of Sindh. Most of the ATMs were destroyed and some looted.

Hundreds of private buses were burned in all parts of the country. There were also incidents of burning of trains in Sind. According to the Daily Jang:

Twenty-eight railway stations, 13 railway engines and seven trains were burned resulting over three billion rupees' loss. The whole rail system had collapsed since the night of December 27. Thousands of passengers were on the railway stations waiting for restoration. There were no sign of restoration for some days. Thousands of private cars were also damaged all over Pakistan by the angry mobs, mainly youth. The houses and offices of politicians, local government mayors and administration were the other victims of the mass reaction. They were either burned or damaged.

Over 100 people died in the incidents related to mass protest, either by police or in the crossfire of different groups.

Pakistan Peoples Party

edit

Bhutto's son, Bilawal Zardari, read her instructions on the future of the Pakistan Peoples Party on 30 December.[60] In that will, she had designated her husband Asif Ali Zardari as her political successor but Zardari made their then nineteen-year-old son, Bilawal, the Chairman of the PPP as Zardari favoured their son to represent Bhutto's legacy, in part to avoid division within the party due to his own unpopularity and he serve as co-chairman of the PPP.[61][62][63]

Elections and electoral fraud report

edit
Main article: 2008 Pakistani general election

Pakistan's election commission met on 31 December to decide whether or not to delay the January elections; two days before they hinted that they would need to because pre-election preparation had been "adversely affected".[64] A senior election commission official subsequently announced that the election would be delayed until "the later part of February".[65]

Senator Latif Khosa, one of Bhutto's top aides, reported that she was planning to divulge evidence of fraud in the upcoming election following the event where the assassination took place. The pair co-wrote a 160-page dossier on the subject, with Bhutto outlining tactics she alleged would be put into play, including intimidation, excluding voters and fake ballots being planted in boxes. The report was titled Yet another stain on the face of democracy. In a statement he made on 1 January 2008, Khosa said:

The state agencies are manipulating the whole process, there is rigging by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), the Election Commission and the previous government, which is still continuing to hold influence. They were on the rampage.[66]

Khosa said that they had planned to give the dossier to two American lawmakers on the evening of her assassination and release it publicly soon after that. One of the claims in the dossier was that US financial aid had been secretly misappropriated for electoral fraud and another was that the ISI has a 'mega-computer' which could hack into any other computer and was connected to the Election Commission's system. A spokesman for President Musharraf called the claims "ridiculous".[66]

In the run up to the election, the 'sympathy vote' was considered crucial for the Pakistan Peoples Party, which was expected to win the National Assembly.[67][68] The election results yielded a majority for the Pakistan Peoples Party in the National Assembly, and in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.[69]

Economy

edit

Following a three-day shut-down, the benchmark index, the KSE100 index, of the Karachi Stock Exchange fell 4.7%. The Pakistani rupee fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar since October 2001.[70] The stock exchange has a history of recovering after political unrest.[71] The Pakistan Railways suffered losses of PKR 12.3 billion as a direct result of riots following the assassination.[72] Sixty-three railway stations, 149 bogies, and 29 locomotives were damaged within two days of Bhutto's death.[73] In the first four days after the assassination, Karachi suffered losses of US$1 billion.[72] By the fifth day, the cost of country-wide violence amounted to 8% of the GDP.[74]

Responsibility

edit

Adnkronos claimed that al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the killing in October 2007.[75][76] U.S. intelligence officials said that they couldn't confirm this claim of responsibility.[77] Nonetheless, U.S. analysts said that al-Qaeda was a likely, or even a prime suspect.[77][78] For its part, the Pakistani Interior Ministry (of the previous Musharraf administration) stated that it had proof that al-Qaeda was behind the assassination, stating "that the suicide bomber belonged to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi—an al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim militant group that the government has blamed for hundreds of killings".[37][79] The Interior Ministry also claimed to have intercepted a statement by militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, said to be linked to al-Qaeda, in which he congratulated his followers for carrying out the assassination.[80][81] On 29 December a Mehsud spokesman told the Associated Press that Mehsud was not involved in the assassination:[82] "I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don't strike women. It is a conspiracy by government, military and intelligence agencies."[83] The Pakistan Peoples Party also called the government's blame of Mehsud a diversion: "The story that al-Qaida or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's party.[82][84] On 18 January 2008, CIA Director Michael Hayden claimed that Mehsud and his network was responsible.[85]

In a letter which she wrote to Musharraf on 16 October 2007, Bhutto named four persons who were involved in an alleged plot to kill her: current Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Ijaz Shah, former chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and the former ISI chief, Hamid Gul, as those who posed a threat to her life.[86] British newspaper The Times suggested that elements within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence with close ties to Islamists might have been behind the killing, and it also asserted that it is unlikely that Musharraf would have ordered the assassination.[87] October 2007 emails from Bhutto in which she wrote that she would blame Musharraf for her death if she were killed, because the Musharraf government was not providing adequate security to her, were also published after Bhutto's death.[19][88][89] Soon after the killing, many of Bhutto's supporters believed that the Musharraf government was involved in the assassination.[90] On 30 December, Scotland on Sunday quoted MI5 sources stated that factions of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence may have been responsible for the assassination.[91]

United Nations inquiry

edit

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on 5 February 2009 that at the Government of Pakistan's request, a commission would be sent to investigate Bhutto's assassination.[92] Armed with a modest mandate and a limited timeframe, a three-member team arrived at Islamabad on 16 July 2009. The unit, headed by the Chilean diplomat Heraldo Muñoz, found themselves plunged into a murky world of conspiracy theories, power politics and conflicting agendas. Muñoz was supported by the Indonesian official Marzuki Darusman and Peter Fitzgerald, a retired Irish police officer who headed the initial inquiry into the assassination of Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005.

The UN was asked to send a team to dispel a conspiracy theory that claimed that Zardari himself had orchestrated his wife's death, a notion most analysts dismissed because of absence of any concrete evidence. Basically the UN team's mandate was to "establish the facts and circumstances of the assassination" and not to undertake a criminal investigation, which remained responsibility of the Pakistani authorities.[93]

A formal investigation by the United Nations commenced.[94] The report concluded that the security measures provided to Bhutto by the government were "fatally insufficient and ineffective".[95] Furthermore, the report stated that the treatment of the crime scene after her death went "beyond mere incompetence".[95] The report stated that "police actions and omissions, including the hosing down of the crime scene and failure to collect and preserve evidence, inflicted irreparable damage to the investigation".[95]

In its report, the UN Commission stated that: A range of government officials failed profoundly in their efforts first to protect Ms Bhutto and second to investigate with vigour all those responsible for her murder, not only in the execution of the attack, but also in its conception, planning and financing. ... Responsibility for Ms Bhutto's security on the day of her assassination rested with the Federal Government, the government of Punjab and the Rawalpindi District Police. None of these entities took necessary measures to respond to the extraordinary and urgent security risks that they knew she faced.

Among other failings: the police co-ordinated poorly with the PPP's own security; police escort units did not protect Ms Bhutto's vehicle as tasked; parked police vehicles blocked the emergency route; and the police took grossly inadequate steps to clear the crowd so that Ms Bhutto's vehicle would have safe passage on leaving Liaquat Bagh. The performance of individual police officers and police leadership was poor in areas of forward planning, accountability and command and control.

The heroism of individual PPP supporters, many of whom sacrificed themselves to protect Ms Bhutto should have been properly canalised by the Chief of PPP's security [Mr Rehman Malik]. More serious, Ms Bhutto was left vulnerable in a severely damaged vehicle by the irresponsible and hasty departure of the bullet-proof Mercedes-Benz which, as the back-up vehicle, was an essential part of her convoy [perhaps purposefully taken away by Rehman Malik, Babar Awan & Farhatullah Babar].

The collection of 23 pieces of evidence was manifestly inadequate in a case that should have resulted in thousands.... Hosing down the crime scene so soon after the blast goes beyond mere incompetence and needed fixing criminal responsibility on many.

The deliberate prevention by CPO Saud Aziz of a post mortem examination of Ms Bhutto hindered a definitive determination of the cause of her death. It was patently unrealistic for the CPO to expect that Mr Zardari would allow an autopsy on his arrival in Pakistan while in the meantime her remains had been placed in a coffin and brought to the airport. The autopsy should have been carried out at RGH long before Mr Zardari arrived. The Commission was persuaded that the Rawalpindi police chief, CPO Saud Aziz, did not act independently of higher authorities, either in the decision to hose down the crime scene or to impede the post-mortem examination.[96][97]

Official indictment

edit

On 5 November 2011, a Pakistani court indicted two police officers in connection with Bhutto's assassination, among them, the former police chief of Rawalpindi. The two men were in charge of the former prime minister's security and were previously arrested and charged with "conspiracy as well as abetment in the murder" and "changing the security plan". A further five men were also indicted, all of them believed to have been affiliated with Beitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban leader who the government blamed for the attack. On 20 August 2013, ex-President Pervez Musharraf was indicted on three charges of murder, conspiracy to murder, and facilitation of murder in connection with his alleged failure to provide adequate security to Bhutto—charges for which he reportedly denied his responsibility.[98][99][100]

On 31 August 2017, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court declared that Musharraf was a wanted fugitive due to the role which he played in connection with Bhutto's murder and acquitted five suspected Pakistani Taliban of conspiracy to commit murder due to lack of evidence, while sentencing two high-ranking police officers to 17 years in prison, one for mishandling security at the Bhutto rally and the other for mishandling evidence at the crime scene.[101][102][103] On 16 December 2019, Musharraf, in exile for hospitalization in Dubai, was sentenced to death in Pakistan in absentia for high treason, for suspending the constitution and imposing a state of emergency a decade early, with right of appeal.[104] The United Arab Emirates has no current extradition with Pakistan, though Musharraf's poor health prevented him from being moved even if there was.

On 9 February 2023 a special division bench of two judges of the Lahore High Court heard eight appeals in Bhutto's murder case. Notices were issued to various individuals, including former President Zardari and accused parties, while the appeal against Musharraf was dismissed due to his death.[105]

Reactions

edit

Pakistani government

edit

According to state television, Musharraf held an emergency cabinet meeting after he received word of the blast. He then addressed the nation, saying that "We shall not rest till we tackle this problem and eliminate all the terrorists. This is the only way the nation will be able to move forward, otherwise this will be the biggest obstacle to our advancement."[106] In a televised address, President Musharraf publicly condemned the killing of Bhutto, proclaiming a three-day mourning period with all national flags at half-mast.[107] Mahmud Ali Durrani, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, called Bhutto's death "a national tragedy" and stated that "... we have lost one of our important, very important and, I would stress, liberal leaders."[31]

Opposition

edit
 
Nawaz Sharif (pictured in 1998) expressed his solidarity with Bhutto's family and political workers.

Nawaz Sharif was the first mainstream political leader to reach the hospital and express his solidarity with Bhutto's family and political workers.[108] He vowed to "fight your [Bhutto's] war from now on" and calling the day of her assassination the "darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country".[106][109] Despite extreme political enmity between the two leaders during the 1990s, both vowed to introduce politics of tolerance before returning from exile and had earlier signed the Charter of Democracy. After signing the charter, they said that they would work for an end to the rule of President Musharraf.[110] Earlier in the day, Nawaz Sharif's political meeting had also been shot at, resulting in the death of four people.[111]

Chairman Imran Khan of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party strongly condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. "It is a dastardly act designed to destabilise Pakistan with the government responsible for not providing her security though she was demanding it. We must fight this menace of terrorism. It is a black day in the history of Pakistan and an irreparable loss to this country," Khan said.[112]

Pakistan Peoples Party Washington, D.C. chapter president Javaid Manzoor said, "We [Bhutto's supporters] are shocked. We are stunned. Every single one of us is mourning the loss of our leader," also stating that he believed that the next election, scheduled for 8 January would be cancelled.[24] Pakistan Peoples Party senior vice chairman Ameen Faheem later called for a 40-day period of mourning across Pakistan.[113] Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the Pakistan Peoples Party was unhappy with the government's declaration of the death coming as a result of an accident and said that the Pakistan Peoples Party wanted to see a change in the direction of the investigation. He called for an independent inquiry into the assassination by international experts. He also said that "had the government accepted our demand of conducting an inquiry into Karachi's 18 October blast by international experts, this incident would not have happened."[114]

International reaction

edit
Main article: International reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto
 
U.S. President George W. Bush condemned the assassination in a 27 December press conference.

Bhutto's assassination was met with widespread condemnation by members of the international community,[106] including Pakistan's regional neighbours Afghanistan,[106] China,[115] India,[106][116] Bangladesh and Iran.[31][106] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised Bhutto's efforts for the improvement of Indo-Pakistani relations.[106][116] The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting and unanimously condemned the assassination,[117] a call echoed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[118]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Bhutto 'wounded in suicide blast'". BBC News. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  2. ^ Matthew Moore; Emma Henry (28 December 2007). "Benazir Bhutto killed in gun and bomb attack". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Bhutto exhumation OK, Pakistan official says". CNN. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Assassinated". VOA News. Voice of America. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Benazir Bhutto killed in attack". BBC News. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  6. ^ Ahmed, Munir (Associated Press) (28 December 2007). "Pakistan: Al-Qaida Behind Bhutto Killing". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Benazir Bhutto assassinated". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Bhutto died after hitting sun roof". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  9. ^ "Bhutto death explanation 'pack of lies'". Herald Sun. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  10. ^ Press Trust of India (1 January 2008). "Pak Govt makes U-turn on cause of Bhutto's death". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  11. ^ Till, Brian (23 May 2011). "Could the U.S. Have Prevented Benazir Bhutto's Death?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  12. ^ Talpur, Parveen (10 December 2007). "Pakistan's fragile future". Press & Sun Bulletin. George Troyano. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017. (archive subscription needed)
  13. ^ "Supporters flock to Karachi for Bhutto's return". CBC News. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  14. ^ Gall, Carlotta; Masood, Salman (19 October 2007). "Bomb Attack Kills Scores in Pakistan as Bhutto Returns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  15. ^ "Death toll rises in Bhutto attack". CNN. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  16. ^ a b Narayana, Nagesh; Cutler, David (27 December 2007). "Chronology: Attacks in Pakistan since July 2007". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  17. ^ "Attack on Bhutto convoy kills 130". BBC News. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  18. ^ a b Bowley, Graham (20 October 2007). "After Bombing, Bhutto Assails Officials' Ties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  19. ^ a b "Bhutto said she'd blame Musharraf if killed". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  20. ^ Julian, Hana Levi (28 October 2007). "Israel, US, Britain Ignored Bhutto Appeals for Protection". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  21. ^ Sherwell, Philip (30 December 2007). "Bhutto 'blocked from hiring US bodyguards'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  22. ^ "Musharraf: Bhutto Knew Of Risks". 60 Minutes. 6 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  23. ^ Moreau, Ron (28 December 2007). "Can Musharraf Survive?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  24. ^ a b c Kamal, Hyder (27 December 2017). "Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide bomb attack". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  25. ^ Moore, John (interview by Patrick Witty, production by Thomas Lin) (27 December 2007). "The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto" (Multimedia). The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ "Visuals of attack on Benazir". The Times of India. December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2007.
  27. ^ "Resuscitation bid failed". Dawn. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  28. ^ "Pak govt reveals how Benazir was killed". CNN-IBN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  29. ^ "Doctor relives father's fate after Bhutto attack". Reuters. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2007.
  30. ^ Stratton, Allegra (27 December 2007). "Benazir Bhutto assassinated at rally". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  31. ^ a b c "Bhutto's death heightens democracy concerns". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  32. ^ "How did Pakistan's Bhutto die?". CNN. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  33. ^ a b Shah, Saeed (29 December 2007). "Blame game begins amid fury". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
  34. ^ Zahid= Hussain; Jeremy Page (28 December 2007). "Benazir Bhutto assassinated at political rally in Pakistan". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  35. ^ "Bhutto buried amid mass mourning". BBC News. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  36. ^ "Bhutto killing blamed on al-Qaeda". BBC News. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  37. ^ a b c "Pakistan: Fractured skull killed Bhutto". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  38. ^ a b "Benazir aide says govt explanation 'pack of lies'". Dawn. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  39. ^ Indo-Asian News Service (30 December 2007). "Sunroof injury couldn't kill Bhutto: Toyota official". DNA. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  40. ^ Medical report of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Archived 27 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (27 December 2007). The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  41. ^ "Open head injury caused BB's death". The News. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  42. ^ a b Emily Wax; Griff Witte (1 January 2008). "Doctors Cite Pressure to Keep Silent On Bhutto". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  43. ^ "Lawyer: Police prevented Bhutto autopsy". CNN. 31 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  44. ^ "Medical Report of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto" (PDF). CNN. 31 December 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  45. ^ "Bhutto Medical Report". Chicago Tribune. 31 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  46. ^ Witte, Griff (29 December 2007). "Masses Mourn Bhutto as Unrest Spreads". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  47. ^ "Bhutto murder: Key questions". BBC News. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
  48. ^ "Ministry backtracks on Bhutto sunroof claims". CNN. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  49. ^ Eric Schmitt; Salman Masood (8 February 2008). "Head Injury Killed Bhutto, Report Said to Find". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  50. ^ Scotland Yard (8 February 2008). "Scotland Yard Statement on Bhutto Report". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
  51. ^ "Bhutto buried next to her father's grave". The Economic Times. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  52. ^ "Bhutto Killed in Bomb Attack". Der Spiegel. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  53. ^ Hyder, Kamal (27 December 2017). "Pakistan's Bhutto killed in attack". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  54. ^ "Bhutto killing 'could start civil war'". Yorkshire Post. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  55. ^ "Pakistan police tear gas protest". The Age. Melbourne. Agence France-Presse. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  56. ^ Anthony, Augustine (Reuters) (27 December 2007). "Pakistan's Bhutto assassinated in gun, bomb attack". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2 March 2008. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)[dead link]
  57. ^ "Bhutto Assassination Throws Pakistan Into Chaos". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  58. ^ Musharraf cracks down on rioters Archived 1 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, Last Updated: Saturday, 29 December 2007, 14:57 UTC
  59. ^ a b "Bhutto's Party To Decide Successor". Al Jazeera. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  60. ^ "Bhutto note on party's future to be read on Sunday: husband". Hindustan Times. Agence France-Presse. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 12 July 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  61. ^ Nick Schifrin. "Benazir Bhutto's Will Made Public". ABC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  62. ^ "Bhutto's Son Given Top Party Job". Sky News. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  63. ^ "Bhutto's son, husband to be co-leaders of party". Reuters. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  64. ^ "Pakistan says turmoil after Bhutto death could delay vote". Agence France-Presse. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  65. ^ "Pakistan election to be held in February". News.com.au. Agence France-Presse. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  66. ^ a b "Bhutto had 'proof' of poll-rigging plan". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Reuters. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  67. ^ Birsel, Robert Bhutto sympathy vote seen key to Pakistan election. Daily Mirror. 2 February 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008
  68. ^ Sappenfield, Mark (14 February 2008). "Bhutto's legacy propels Pakistan People's Party ahead of election". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  69. ^ Cameron-Moore, Simon Pakistan's Musharraf could face end, analysts say Archived 1 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Reuters. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008
  70. ^ "Pakistan election decision on Tuesday, stocks fall". Dawn. 31 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  71. ^ "Karachi shares fall after killing". BBC News. 31 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
  72. ^ a b Bhutto death is a further blow to Pakistan economy. International Herald Tribune. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008
  73. ^ Yasin, Amir Railways suffer Rs 10bn loss in two days Archived 22 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. The Daily Times. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2008
  74. ^ "Violence losses amount to 8% of GDP". Daily Times. 12 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  75. ^ "Pakistan: Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto's death". Adnkronos International. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  76. ^ Shahzad, Syed Saleem (27 December 2007). "Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto killing". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  77. ^ a b Ross, Brian (27 December 2007). "U.S. Checking al Qaeda Claim of Killing Bhutto". ABC News. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  78. ^ Mikkelsen, Randall (27 December 2007). "UPDATE 1-Al Qaeda leads suspect list in Bhutto killing". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  79. ^ "U.S. suspects Taliban leader behind Bhutto plot". CNN. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  80. ^ Fletcher, Martin (29 December 2007). "Named: the al-Qaeda chief who 'masterminded murder'". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  81. ^ Khan, Ashraf (28 December 2007). "Bhutto Buried As Pakistan Unrest Spreads". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  82. ^ a b Nessman, Ravi (29 December 2007). "Pakistan militants, Bhutto aides allege government coverup in assassination". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  83. ^ "I didn't kill Benazir Bhutto". Times Now. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  84. ^ "Fighters deny Bhutto killing link". Al Jazeera. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  85. ^ "CIA boss names Bhutto's killers". BBC News. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  86. ^ Shakeel, Syed Faisal (30 December 2007). "PPP demands probe based on Benazir's letter". Dawn. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  87. ^ Page, Jeremy (27 December 2007). "Main suspects are warlords and security forces". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  88. ^ "Bhutto Blamed Musharraf for Lack of Security". NPR. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  89. ^ Eisenberg, Carol (29 December 2007). "Email queries security shortfall". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  90. ^ David, Ruth Bhutto Supporters Blame Musharraf Archived 27 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Forbes. Retrieved 1 March 2008
  91. ^ Richard Elias; Jeremy Watson (30 December 2007). "Bhutto murder blamed on Pakistan agents". Scotland on Sunday. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  92. ^ "Letter dated 2 February 2009 from the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council expressing the intention to establish, at the request of the Government of Pakistan, a 3-member Commission of Inquiry in connection with the assassination of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto". United Nations Digital Library. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  93. ^ "Judges & Generals in Pakistan Vol-II by Inam R Sehri [2012] pp621-22". GHP Surrey UK. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  94. ^ "UN begins Bhutto killing inquiry". BBC News. 1 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  95. ^ a b c UN report on Bhutto murder finds Pakistani officials 'failed profoundly' Archived 9 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine UN News Centre. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  96. ^ "Letter dated 15 April 2010 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council transmitting the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the facts and circumstances of the assassination of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto". United Nations Digital Library. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  97. ^ "Judges & Generals in Pakistan Vol-II by Inam R Sehri [2012] pp623-25". GHP Surrey UK. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  98. ^ "Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf indicted in Benazir Bhutto murder case". Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  99. ^ Johnson, John (5 November 2011). "Ex-Police Chief Indicted in Bhutto Assassination". Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  100. ^ Pakistan court indicts seven in Bhutto murder case Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine in Reuters on 5 November 2011
  101. ^ Benazir Bhutto murder: Five cleared of killing ex-Pakistan Prime Minister –The Daily Telegraph Archived 19 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine on 31 August 2017
  102. ^ Musharraf declared fugitive as Bhutto murder trial ends in Pakistan –The Guardian Archived 31 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine on 31 August 2017
  103. ^ Pakistani court declares ex-military leader a fugitive in Bhutto murder case –Reuters Archived 1 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine on 31 August 2017
  104. ^ The Washington Post[dead link]
  105. ^ "LHC to hear Benazir murder case appeal after 5 years". 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  106. ^ a b c d e f g "Reactions to Bhutto assassination". BBC News. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  107. ^ Qayum, Khalid (27 December 2007). "'Musharraf Condemns Bhutto's Killing, Announces 3-Day Mourning". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  108. ^ Saeed, Abrar (27 December 2007). "Musharraf's policies responsible: Nawaz". The Nation. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  109. ^ "Sharif vows to fight Bhutto's 'war'". Independent Online. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  110. ^ "'Democracy charter' for Pakistan". BBC News. 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  111. ^ "'Four dead, several hurt in Pakistan election violence". Dawn. Reuters. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  112. ^ "A black day for Pak". Times Now. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  113. ^ Wasim, Amir (27 December 2007). "PPP announces 40-day mourning". Dawn. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  114. ^ Raza, Syed Irfan (28 December 2007). "Govt gives new twist to probe: Al Qaeda blamed for killing". Dawn. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  115. ^ "Global outrage over assassination". Al Jazeera. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  116. ^ a b Chaudhury, Nilova Roy (27 December 2007). "India expresses shock, horror at Bhutto's assassination". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  117. ^ "Security Council condemns suicide attack that killed former prime minister of Pakistan". United Nations. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  118. ^ "Secretary-General 'shocked and outraged' by Bhutto assassination". United Nations. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto&oldid=1253464050"