The Hindu : Front Page : Violence erupts in many cities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 28, 2007
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Violence erupts in many cities

Nirupama Subramanian

Benazir was shot when she emerged through the sunroof of her vehicle

A supporter cries as he sits among bodies after the blast

Rawalpindi: According to eyewitness accounts, at least 20 others were killed in the suicide attack in which Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.

Ms. Bhutto had emerged through the sunroof of her vehicle to wave to people as she left the Liaquat Bagh after an election meeting when the attacker came in close from behind and fired two rounds at her from what sounded like an automatic weapon. An explosion followed in which her car was reported to be badly damaged. This could have caused her more injuries.

Those who died were mostly PPP activists surrounding her car.

Ms. Bhutto died from gunshot wounds in her throat and chest a little after 6 p.m., after doctors at the Rawalpindi General Hospital battled for an hour to save her life.

A tense situation prevailed at the hospital after she was declared dead. Angry PPP supporters broke a glass door and raised slogans against President Pervez Musharraf as they scuffled with the police.

Shops in the city, where the Pakistan military General Headquarters is also located, closed down within minutes of the attack.

Protesters take to streets

Party supporters poured out on to the roads in many cities. In Karachi, Ms. Bhutto’s hometown, thousands took to the streets, burning tyres and setting fire to a post office and some other buildings. Businesses shut down and people went home fearing for their safety.

In Hyderabad, they burnt vehicles. Even in Lahore and Peshawar, angry protesters came out on to the streets.

Three-day mourning

The Sindh government has declared a three-day mourning. PPP deputy leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim announced at a late-night press conference that the party would observe the 40-day traditional Islamic mourning period.

Late at night, Ms. Bhutto’s body was shifted from the hospital to the Chakalala air base. It will be taken to her ancestral village in Larkana, where she will be buried next to her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and two brothers at Gadhi Khuda Baksh.

Agencies report:

Ten people were killed in rioting in Karachi in the wake of the assassination.

Shop owners quickly closed their businesses as protesters set tyres on fire on the roads, torched several vehicles and burned a petrol station, said a local police officer. He said gunmen shot and wounded two police officers.

One man was killed in a shootout between police and protesters in Tando Allahyar, a town 190 km north of Karachi, said Mayor Kanwar Naveed. In the town of Tando Jam, protesters forced passengers to get out of a train and then set it on fire.

Akhtar Zamin, Home Minister of Sindh, said troops would be deployed to stop violence if needed.

In Peshawar, police used tear gas and batons to break up a demonstration.

More than 100 angry supporters of Ms. Bhutto blocked the main trunk road in the northwestern city, torching hoardings and posters of General Musharraf, before police moved in.

Protesters took to the streets in groups, some of them opening fire in the air and screaming.

Violence also broke out in Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and many other cities.

Benazir Bhutto 1953 - 2007

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