Deadly Blasts Strike Bhutto's Homecoming

Explosions Kill At Least 120 Near Truck Carrying Former Pakistani Prime Minister; Bhutto Unhurt

(CBS/AP)  Two bombs exploded Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in exile, killing at least 126 and injuring more than more than 240, according to hospital officials. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt.

An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire.

Those traveling atop the truck with Bhutto climbed down, with one man jumping off while others used a ladder. Bhutto's lawyer, Sen. Babar Awan, said that the former premier was safe.

CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports that at least one of the blasts is believed to have been set off by a suicide bomber. She spoke with British journalist Christina Lamb who was riding in the truck with Bhutto.

"Suddenly there was this enormous blast and a huge ball of orange flame came across the top of the bus and we were all thrown to the floor," Lamb said, "and everyone screamed 'down, down!'"

Karachi police chief Azhar Farooqi told Dawn News that Bhutto was rushed from the area under pre-laid contingency plans.

"She was evacuated very safely and is now in Bilawal House," Farooqi told Dawn News television, referring to Bhutto's residence in Karachi.

A senior official from her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) told CBS News that Bhutto "was not in great danger at any time after the blast. Thank god she is safe."

Footage from the scene of the blasts showed bodies on the ground, lying motionless, plus a dozen or more injured who were moving. At least one vehicle was burning.

Bhutto flew home after eight years in exile to lead her Pakistan People's Party in January parliamentary elections, drawing cheers from supporters massed in a sea of the party's red, green and black flags. The police chief said 150,000 were in the streets, while other onlookers estimated twice that.

The throngs reflected Bhutto's enduring political clout, but she has made enemies of Islamic militants by taking a pro-U.S. line and negotiating a possible political alliance with Pakistan's military ruler, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

CBS News' Farhan Bokhari reports that Ms. Bhutto’s return to Pakistan had been preceded by intelligence reports suggesting that members of Al Qaeda were planning to target her. Upon her arrival on Thursday, she set aside the security plan to be visible only from behind a bullet proof glass and instead chose to stand on an elevated platform, raising objections from Karachi police officials who said, Ms Bhutto had compromised her security.

Authorities had urged her to travel in Karachi by helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the U.S.-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns.

"I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she had told reporters on the plane. "This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants."

A senior Pakistani security official in Islamabad said the blasts did appear to be the work of al Qaeda though no one immediately claimed responsibility. "Car bombs of this kind bear the hand prints of al Qaeda", he told CBS News on the condition that he would not be named.

The United States condemned "the violent attack in Pakistan and mourns the loss of innocent life there," said Gordon Johndroe, foreign affairs spokesman for President Bush. "Extremists will not be allowed to stop Pakistanis from selecting their representatives through an open and democratic process."

[antoniof123]

This woman is so corrupt and they still want her back. Are these people nuts look at what she did. Oh my God this world is really messed up isn''t it.

The religious nuts will believe anything you tell them. I am starting my own religion and going to pass the collection plate to make some money.

Dear God please bless me in this I hear you calling me God I will do as you say.

lololololololololol

[robertkjjj]

Yes, these people are "nuts", as you say. How many sane people do you THINK live in Pakistan,anyway?

[ozonmojo]

The collective amnesia about Benazir Bhutto is a remarkably astounding phenomenon.Even the Western media is blindly expecting miracles from the terribly corrupt and irreparably tarnished leader .The lady herself claims she is a representative of the poor.Yet she is reluctant to explain her family fortune of about 750 million U.S dollars in Swiss banks.The E.U is silent on this.So is U.S State Department.

[neoconrcrazy]

"August 6, 2003, Swiss magistrates found Benazir and her husband guilty of money laundering.[21] They were given six-month suspended jail terms, fined $50,000 each and were ordered to pay $11 million to the Pakistani government."

related charges in France, Poland, Spain......

she''s had her hand deep into the cookie jar, corrupted rich kid, like bushit.

[ozonmojo]

Benazir''s equally corrupt husband Mr.Zardari is in exile now in Dubai.He is known as Mr.Ten Percent for the commissions he collected from all government contracts while he was a minister in his wife''s cabinet.Now,this guy is also going back to Pakistan as if his wife is not enough to squeeze that country dry once again.According to London Telegraph,Benazir does not rule out giving her hubby a suitable position in her government.

[tomflint69]

Still, its not late. Immediately enforce emergency state in the and only their army should be allowed to rule. Otherwise, Pakistan will likely become Iraq no.2

[tomflint69]

This woman is so corrupt and they still want her back. Are these people nuts look at what she did. Oh my God this world is really messed up isn''''t it.

The religious nuts will believe anything you tell them. I am starting my own religion and going to pass the collection plate to make some money.

Dear God please bless me in this I hear you calling me God I will do as you say.

lololololololololol

Posted by antoniof123 at 09:29 AM : Oct 18, 2007

________________

Agree, but these ''nuts'' are Benazir''s party workers and thugs, who get regular wages. An ordinary Pakistani has become fed up with the corrupt politicians.

[one_american]

How many liberals are still in denial and still don''t believe that the aim of terrorists is to destroy all democracies and to force one religion, a perverted for of Islam, on everyone?

[one_american]

How many liberals are still in denial and still don''t believe that the aim of terrorists is to destroy all democracies and to force one religion, a perverted form of Islam, on everyone?

[notblue]

Another glaring example of how radical Islamic militants deal with anyone not in goosetep with there barbaristic ideology.

[kevboom]

"How many liberals are still in denial and still don''''t believe that the aim of terrorists is to destroy all democracies and to force one religion, a perverted form of Islam, on everyone?"

Liberals do believe this. We just don''t believe stirring the middle eastern pot by starting an unprovoked war is the right way to deal with terror. It only justifies the actions of the illiterate fundamentalist muslim who doesn''t understand we''re at the mercy of a government driven by corporate profits. "See, America is a bunch of agressive christians out to destroy islam. Join us and kill them." We''re a much smarter nation with better solutions than Bush has projected for seven long years. Good for Bhutto for standing up to illiterate extremism. Good for America next November too.

[wonder25]

EXACTLY why I made America''s only politically CONSERVATIVE music CD ''Blaming America First.'' They''ll figure a way to blame this on us too!
I let Hillary, Edwards, Ward Churchill and the gang have it--in music! Someone had to--I did @

www.conservativemusiconline.com

[hotwitch]

Benazir Bhutto was nothing less than a nasty gangster when she ran that country. The American Left loves her ''cause she went to Wellesley. And the democrats think they can have a dialog with the suicide bombers. All ridiculous.

[robertkjjj]

Ahhhhh, the lovely "religion of peace", Islam, has given the world yet another gift: a giant pile of bodies. All in a days work for these murdering scum. I hope Musharraf uses this attack as a pretense to nuke all of Waziristan back to the stone age. I really do. Nothing will make my smile wider than to see that entire region reduced to blackened glass-sand. President Musharraf, please strike hard, and strike now! Strike back with a fist of steel. These bast*ards understand nothing but sheer and brutal force. When dealing with Jihad, it is either kill, or be killed. It is time for justice and vengeance.

[zootallures2]

Another glaring example of how radical Islamic militants deal with anyone not in goosetep with there barbaristic ideology.

Posted by notblue at 04:31 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Unlike the United States where they are much much nicer to those who are not in goosetep with the neo-con barbaristic ideology.

[j-whitman]

One_American,,,,, You don''t want to convert, then don''t --- Or do you think Americans are to stupid & weak to resist as Bush & your GOP leads you to believe ????

[tank611]

Attacking unarmed civilians is murder. The Koran does not permit murder. The radical Muslims have gone against the teachings of the Koran with these murders.

[stezzer]

tank611

Have you seen some of the other stuff the Koran teaches?

Even "moderate" Islamic countries don''t allow any deviation from Islam. Suddenly decide you want to follow Judaism or Christianity and it''s goodnight Vienna.

Islam is not a religion of peace.

[robertkjjj]

Tank611, your answer is clueless, naove, and hardly deep. You come off sounding like every other lying Islamic spokesman on TV who says "Oh no, this is wrong. This is against Islam. We are peaceful." Right. One, this doesn''t bring the millions of murdered people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, back to life. Two, it doesn''t explain the 9000+ attacks committed in the name of Islam, and that%u2019s only since 9-11, and it doesn''t address why millions of Muslims are so confused and think it is OK to do this. And Three, it flies in the face of the Koran itself, which is filled with quotes of Mohammed himself saying violence IS OK, that it IS correct to wage war and kill infidels. If you are Muslim, then you do NOT even know your own religion. If you aren''t Muslim, then you have no business speaking about a subject you are so utterly ignorant about. Either way, you are a liar and you may as well be a murderer yourself, since you are clearly trying to make excuses for this gutter religion, this cancer of the world, called Islam.

[stezzer]

HADITH Sahih Bukhari [4:52:177] Narrated Abu Huraira:
"O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."

That''s all you need to know folks.

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,,,, Hey welcome back, how''s England ??

[stezzer]

Hello J, hope you are well.

Right now England is cold and foggy. How is the USA?

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,, We are getting off & on rain in Sacramento, nice & cool.
,,, Some one the other day tried telling me in argument on health care, that you pull your own teath in England.... Inspite of your higher taxes, maybe you could shed some lite on the issue

[stezzer]

j-whitman

Oh dear, what you hear is true. I know Americans laugh at our teeth anyway. But at the moment it''s impossible to get dental treatment on the National Health Service.

People really are pulling their own teeth. Despite what we have to pay in National Insurance, finding a dentist is harder than meeting Mary Poppins.

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,,,, Thanks,, I know my cousin''s family has really been taken care of medicaly, but dental here is also a problem you need seperate insurance & some is good & some is bad, most can''t afford both. Employers, or at least the one I worked for (Children''s Hospital) provided dental as well as medical... That''s being eleminated more & more.

[stezzer]

j-whitman

To be honest, we Brits see American people on TV and yearn to have such nice choppers. I think you have exploded the myth, thank you. Perhaps only rich people in America have nice teeth.

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,,,, I just looked at my last dental statement ---- I had 5 extractions, x-ray''s & what thay call a stay plate, total cost was over 2,500. With out insurance I would have had to pull my own also.

[stezzer]

j-whitman

Thank goodness you have insurance. Over here if you have private insurance, you still have to pay National Insurance. Only the wealthy can afford both. Very few people have decent teeth.

No doubt Sir, your smile is better than mine : )

[stezzer]

j-whitman

As always, it''s been a pleasure talking to you. Good luck Sir, I hope the weather in Sacramento stays the way you like it.

Goodnight, and thank you.

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,,,, We have a big problem now with higher cost, but we do seem to have a good selection of insurance companies, for those who can afford it.. But it''s a growing problem for the middle to lower end of our middle class families & now politicians want cuts to state & federal sponsored programs.... A bit immoral if you ask me.
,, Did I tell you my cousin lives in Norwich ??? He just retired from the BBC Internet division I think it''s called.

[j-whitman]

Stezzer,,, Good night, it''s been a pleasure..

[stezzer]

j-whitman

Sorry, signed off too soon. Yes, you did tell me about your cousin. Norwich is a wonderful place, you should visit.

The BBC is a hot debate over here right now. However, not wishing to sound biased, it''s a wonderful broadcasting company.

There is much talk of redundancy and cost cutting. I''m glad your cousin has retired before he was involved in all the nonsense.

[stezzer]

j-whitman

Sorry, Trans-Atlantic crossed wires and all that. Goodnight, hope we speak soon.

Goodnight.

[proof2007]

"Tank611, your answer is clueless, naove, and hardly deep. You come off sounding like every other lying Islamic spokesman on TV who says "Oh no, this is wrong. This is against Islam. We are peaceful."
Posted by robertkjjj at 07:28 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Roberrtkjjj,

Do the following verses from bible ring a bell to you?!! Don''t you think that Bush is applying the following verses?!! Could we say that Christianity is not a religion of peace,too? Or that all religions came from the same source and have pretty much the same rhetoric.

%u201CThink not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.%u201D (Matthew 10:34)

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."(Matthew 11:12)

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Matthew 10:35)

[proof2007]

"Tank611, your answer is clueless, naove, and hardly deep. You come off sounding like every other lying Islamic spokesman on TV who says "Oh no, this is wrong. This is against Islam. We are peaceful."
Posted by robertkjjj at 07:28 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Roberrtkjjj,

Do the following verses from bible ring a bell to you?!! Don''t you think that Bush is applying the following verses?!! Could we say that Christianity is not a religion of peace,too? Or that all religions came from the same source and have pretty much the same rhetoric.

%u201CThink not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.%u201D (Matthew 10:34)

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."(Matthew 11:12)

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Matthew 10:35)

[tnt1954]

bummer. political espionage gets hot. too hot
to handle. but, some like it hot. united sicilian
america? united spanish america? union of satanic
america? many would not approve of it.
but it''s their train set, they are the political
engineers, we''re just along for the ride. all
aboard!!!! dismount. foooorrrrrwwwwwaaarrdddd ho!
if this doesn''t make sense to you, don''t worry
about, just go on to the next question. who, what,
where, when and why. for some their''s is only
to reason why, not do and die.

[jowand]

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."(Matthew 11:12)

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Matthew 10:35)


Posted by proof2007 at 08:27 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Why do you think the Romans killed 1,000,000 Jews around 70 AD?

[ndjam]

The people are tired of being constantly oppressed by the government. That is why this has occured.

[ajmarine1]

Why do you think the Romans killed 1,000,000 Jews around 70 AD?

Posted by jowand at 08:49 PM : Oct 18, 2007



The bull-necked emperor Nero gave two simple commands - destroy Jerusalem - level the temple. Nero picked the heavy, plodding fifty seven year old commoner, Vespasian, who would be assisted by his energetic son Titus. The conquered nations comprising the Roman Empire watched with incredulity as the Jews, single-handed, fought the Roman Goliath. Josephus was given the task to commander the Jewish forces. The Jews were so close to winning the war that Rome was forced to use her full military weight against them to insure victory. The Romans knew the world was watching and knew that the stakes were high. If the Jews were to win their independence the whole empire would be in revolt.

[jowand]

The Romans knew the world was watching and knew that the stakes were high. If the Jews were to win their independence the whole empire would be in revolt.
Posted by AJMarine1 at 09:07 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Well said, how you doing tonight AJ?

[jowand]

Today in Pakistan was CARNIVAL TIME Islamist style, and they (Al Quaeda) want to bring this to the USA.

[ajmarine1]

Well said, how you doing tonight AJ?

Posted by jowand at 09:09 PM : Oct 18, 2007,

I''m doing well, life is good; how are you doing?

[jowand]

I''''m doing well, life is good; how are you doing?

Posted by AJMarine1 at 09:12 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Doing good but having trouble staying up late since I retired, used to work in a forge and was always up at 4:30 AM. Old habits sure are hard to break.

That Buuhto lady is what gutsy gal, knowing what she would be going into; and we think politics is tough in the US.

[ajmarine1]

"That Buuhto lady is what gutsy gal, knowing what she would be going into"

Posted by jowand at 09:16 PM : Oct 18, 2007,



That''s what I was thinking.

"After flying in, Bhutto declared she returned to fight for democracy and to help Pakistan shake off its reputation as a hotbed of international terrorism."



More power to her, I hope she surves.

[proof2007]

"Tank611, your answer is clueless, naove, and hardly deep. You come off sounding like every other lying Islamic spokesman on TV who says "Oh no, this is wrong. This is against Islam. We are peaceful."
Posted by robertkjjj at 07:28 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Roberrtkjjj,

Do the following verses from bible ring a bell to you?!! Don''t you think that Bush is applying the following verses?!! Could we say that Christianity is not a religion of peace,too? Or that all religions came from the same source and have pretty much the same rhetoric.

%u201CThink not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.%u201D (Matthew 10:34)

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."(Matthew 11:12)

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Matthew 10:35)

[jowand]

More power to her, I hope she surves.


Posted by AJMarine1 at 09:30 PM : Oct 18, 2007

Got to go and get some ZZZZZZs don''t burn the place to the ground, have a good one.

[incog-nito]

Time for Bush to invade Pakistan. It''s obvious to everybody that''s where Al Qaeda is. What are we waiting for?

[whites111]

Singingrick,

Killing is killing whehter by suicide bombing or by missiles and aircrafts.Either side has its own way for killing. Both sides say that they target enemies but there is toll for that which is killing of civilians.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by singinrick,

So, Rick is back with his version of "Thou shalt not kill, unless thou art a white, capitalist, fake Christian fascist like me, then beith it cool"...

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by jerryomara

Here is a bit of surprising news, in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Gay people are well represented on TV, in sports, academia, and just about all other aspects of life. Muslim attitudes regarding homosexuality are no different from Christian attitudes, the percentages of extremists and moderates, and those only claiming it to "fit in" are the same.

I fear you are also a victim of the brainwashing that has convinced Americans that all Muslims are "Arabic savages" when such is exactly opposite of the truth. There are more Muslims in South east Asia than in the Middle East, and I, a "Black" American atheist (straight, by the way) have received nothing but respect from these people. The "Bali Bomber" types are as common as the "Tim McVeigh" types, and are condemned by the masses, even Islamic Ulama call them evil.

In short, Gay people face the same trials and tribulations as they do in the US, not more, Iran''s president is no less a homophobe than American politicians, but even he does not represent the majority of Muslims.