Bhutto Slaying Roils Pakistan

Pakistani Opposition Leader Shot By Suicide Bomber, Police Say

(CBS/AP) 
One man was killed in a shootout between police and protesters in Tando Allahyar, a town 120 miles 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.

Two people were killed in the southern Sindh province and two others in Lahore, police said.

Violence also broke out in Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and many other parts of Pakistan, where Bhutto's supporters burned banks, state-run grocery stores and private shops. Some set fire to election offices for the ruling party, according to Pakistani media.

Akhtar Zamin, home minister for the southern Sindh province, said authorities would deploy troops to stop violence if needed.

Musharraf urged calm.

"I want to appeal to the nation to remain peaceful and exercise restraint," he said.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat from Rhode Island, was in Pakistan and on his way to have dinner with Bhutto Thursday night when he learned of her killing.

"You could really feel the tragedy of this loss because Bhutto really represented hope here for so many people," he said, adding that turmoil was engulfing much of the country.

"Her death really dashed the hope of many here in Pakistan and that's why there's so much disillusionment and anger being vented through these protests that are lighting up the sky tonight as people set fires all over the countryside," Kennedy told the AP in a telephone interview.

Sharif arrived at the hospital and sat silently next to Bhutto's body.

"Benazir Bhutto was also my sister, and I will be with you to take the revenge for her death," he said. "Don't feel alone. I am with you. We will take the revenge on the rulers."

He rebutted suggestions that he could gain political capital from her demise, announcing his Muslim League-N party would boycott the elections and demanding that Musharraf resign.

"The holding of fair and free elections is not possible in the presence of Pervez Musharraf," he said. "Musharraf is the cause of all the problems. The federation of Pakistan cannot remain intact in the presence of President Musharraf," he told a news conference.

"After the killing of Benazir Bhutto, I announce that the Pakistan Muslim League-N will boycott the elections," Sharif said. "I demand that Musharraf should quit immediately."

Hours earlier, four people were killed at a rally for Sharif when his supporters clashed with backers of Musharraf near Rawalpindi.

Bhutto's death will leave a void at the top of her party, the largest political group in the country, as it heads into the elections.

Pakistan is considered a vital U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists including the Taliban. Osama bin Laden and his inner circle are believed to be hiding in lawless northwest Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan.

The U.S. has invested significant diplomatic capital in promoting reconciliation between Musharraf and the opposition, particularly Bhutto, who was seen as having a wide base of support in Pakistan. Her party had been widely expected to do well in next month's elections.

Had the PPP either won a majority of seats or enough to put together a majority coalition, Bhutto could have recaptured the job of prime minister.

Bush, speaking briefly to reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanded that those responsible for the killing be brought to justice.

"The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," said Bush, who looked tense and took no questions.

The assassination and concerns of further international instability were cited as one reason for a fall in U.S. stock prices and a rise in oil prices Thursday. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average of blue chip stocks was down more than 140 points or more than 1 percent.

The U.N. Security Council also condemned the assassination.

Pakistan was just emerging from another crisis after Musharraf declared a state of emergency on Nov. 3, and used sweeping powers to round up thousands of his opponents and fire Supreme Court justices. He ended emergency rule Dec. 15 and subsequently relinquished his role as army chief, a key opposition demand. Bhutto had been an outspoken critic of Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule.

"She's very much a hated person among the Islamists in Pakistan," said Michael Scheuer, terrorism expert for CBS News. "She was also hated amongst some of the other political parties and certainly an enemy of the military and intelligence services. So it's very surprising that she's lasted as long as she did."

Educated at Harvard and Oxford universities, Bhutto served twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996.

Her father was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, scion of a wealthy landowning family in southern Pakistan and founder of the populist Pakistan People's Party. The elder Bhutto was president and then prime minister of Pakistan before his ouster in a 1977 military coup. Two years later, he was executed by the government of Gen. Zia-ul Haq after being convicted of engineering the murder of a political opponent.

Just after she'd come back to Pakistan from exile last October, Bhutto escaped injury when a rally was bombed, reports Roth. Complaining the government was deliberately doing too little to help her stay safe, she was asked about quitting her election campaign.

"Well, of course campaigning now is so difficult. I don't think so much of myself but I think of the people who lost their lives," Bhutto said in October of 2007.

The question has been raised whether her exiled husband will step in and take her place, reports CBS News' Farhan Bokhari.

Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban hated Bhutto for her close ties to the Americans and support for the war on terrorism. A local Taliban leader reportedly threatened to greet Bhutto's return to the country with suicide bombings.

Hundreds of riot police had manned security checkpoints around the rally venue Thursday, Bhutto's first public meeting in Rawalpindi since she came back to the country.

In recent weeks, suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted security forces in Rawalpindi.

In November, Bhutto had also planned a rally in the city, but Musharraf forced her to cancel it, citing security fears.

[ballanross]

Bhutto did not kill herself by hitting her head on the handle of the sunroof. What are we, freaking toddlers? Try killing yourself that way and see if you manage to fracture your skull in a way that kills you rather than knocks you out. Then try having your spinal cord severed and chest blown out by two bullets and see if the wounds look anything like "hitting your head on a handle." Please don''t let the Pakistan gov''t lie and get away with it; don''t let Musharraf bury the truth to save his own butt.

"A doctor on the team that treated her said she had a bullet in the back of the neck that damaged her spinal cord before exiting from the side of her head. Another bullet pierced the back of her shoulder and came out through her chest."

"She was given open heart massage, but the main cause of death was damage to her spinal cord, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media."

[ubrew12]

Iceman_1960 said: "its hard to blame the Israeli hardliners too much, for fearing and distrusting these people. " That''s like justifying waterboarding because the ''enemy does it''. I have more respect for the Israeli''s than that they should justify their behavior through Sudan''s

[aaabee-2009]

Bhutto''s assassination also demonstrates the growing power and reach of militant anti-government forces in Pakistan, which pose an existential threat to the country, said J. Alexander Thier, a former U.N. official now at the U.S. Institute for Peace. "The dangerous cocktail of forces of instability exist in Pakistan -- Talibanism, sectarianism, ethnic nationalism -- could react in dangerous and unexpected ways if things unravel further," he said.

Ibid.

[aaabee-2009]

Oh and....

For Benazir Bhutto, the decision to return to Pakistan was sealed during a telephone call from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just a week before Bhutto flew home in October. The call culminated more than a year of secret diplomacy -- and came only when it became clear that the heir to Pakistan''s most powerful political dynasty was the only one who could bail out Washington''s key ally in the battle against terrorism.

U.S. Brokered Bhutto''s Return to Pakistan
By Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, December 28, 2007; A01

[iceman_1960]

"Israel treats its Palestinian residents like the Alabama State Police treated blacks in the 40"s and 50"s."
- Posted by hungry1968

Yes, but it"s really a whole different world over there.

I encourage everyone to check out the Brad Pitt [I know he"s a liberal...] documentary "God Grew Tired of Us," about young Sudanese kids who had to flee the Muslim attacks in the Sudanese civil war a few years ago.

Basically the Arab Muslims of northen Sudan moved on the Black Christians and Animists of the south and tried to exterminate them in the most brutal manner imaginable.

The Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza are living in paradise, compared to the conditions Muslims imposed on non-Muslims in the Sudan.

Frankly, it"s hard to blame the Israeli hardliners too much, for fearing and distrusting these people.

[neoconrcrazy]

yet far-left liberals never bother to do the proper research on what''''s really gone in the world.

Posted by singinrick


yeah, right - like your well researched statement;

"Roman Catholics are not christians"

Give a roman catholic anyday before one of those ignorant southern radical christian-creeps, pouring their sweaty dollars into Haggard''s evil hand.....

[neoconrcrazy]

Israel treats it''''s Palestinian residents like the Alabama State Police treated blacks in the 40'''' and 50''''s.

Posted by hungry1968

not really - because we didn''t outright murder people or destroy their homes, steal their land or imprison them without charges -

no, israel treats the palestinians like the South Africans treated their blacks - as racial inferiors in an apartheid system, i.e. roads only for jews, new housing only for jews, religious discrimination in favor of jews, a legal system for jews only.

that''s about the correct comparison.

[aaabee-2009]

...far-left liberals never bother to do the proper research...They simply sit back, and believe in all the propoganda that''''s pushed through their media outlets without actually going out and searching for the Truth on their own. This is why they constantly blame Israel, the Jews, and Christians..." Posted by singinrick at 08:27 AM : Dec 28, 2007

They. Them.
Next, will it be all liberals wear yellow stars?

Did you realize that you are the propoganda machine, singingrick? The above post contains nothing but lies by a person in one group about people in another group. I am a liberal and there isn''t one, not one, not 1! truth in your statement about me or liberals in general.

You denegrate, lie, and spew hate all across these boards about other people, THEN call yourself a Christian.

Man can hate all on his own without God.

What is religion for when God-fearing Christians jump on the liberal hating bandwagon, led by Dobson and his bunch, and hate right along with the unsaved? You demonstrate here the paper-thin validity of your faith and how easily derailed by fear and lies that faith really is.

I wish singingrick, you had actual faith. Then you would be fighting Satan for your soul, not fighting other human beings over political semantics.

And Sir, nothing is intended as disrespect.

[aaabee-2009]

---- Even during Christmas dinner I had to listen to a young college republican from Washington State echoing party line about the need for 1 party control of our nation ----- Posted by j-whitman at 01:49 AM : Dec 28, 2007

[hungry1968]

Attack the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and let the jihadists have a cookie.

Posted by singinrick at 06:26 AM : Dec 28, 2007


Ahmadinejhad is the democratically elected president of Iran, and he treats his citizens with much more respect than Israel''s leadership could ever hope to treat it''s citizens.

Unless of course you consider launching tear gas, rockets, and missiles into residential neighborhoods, turning attack dogs loose on protesters, breaking the arms of those same demonstrators, etc, etc.

Israel treats it''s Palestinian residents like the Alabama State Police treated blacks in the 40'' and 50''s.

[crater7]

MUSHARRAF HAS COMPLETED HIS PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
BHUTTO WAS THE LAST OPPOSITION THREAT TO HIS RE-ELECTION.

HE HAS REMOVED ALL LEGAL AND POLICITAL OPPOSITION, BY ARRESTING, REPLACING THE SUPREAM COURT, LAWYERS, AND ANYONE WHO IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO HIS POWER.

NOW THAT THERE ARE NO OPPOSITION, THE BUSH BACKED DIC-TATOR, CAN NOW HAVE A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION.

BUSH WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS EVIL RULER, WITH SHOWERS OF TAX PAYERS MONEY..........

[searingtruth]

"We became evil to fight evil, assuring its victory."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.

[j-whitman]

In the mean time Terrorism strikes America again =

Radical Christian terrorism strikes America again =

A rash of attacks on abortion and family planning clinics has struck Albuquerque this month, the first such violence there in nearly a decade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/1
2/28/us/28albuquerque.html?_r=1&oref=slo
gin

[poopusbuttus]

LASTDANCE : The epitome of a cowardess fool. Impotent? Perhaps. On drugs? You bet.

But the most important thing to know about LASTDANCE is that he is a left wing poltroon. Never having to know how to stand up for what%u2019s right. Never having to know what it means to fight for his country. He is, as they say, a weakling.

LASTDANCE is a small person, an agitator with little to no power, or better yet, he is a mischievous little child - commonly referred to as an %u201CImp%u201D.

Throughout our nation%u2019s great history, there have been many %u201CBrave%u201D souls that have fought and lived, and, fought and died, to keep this country great. Not just in wars, but in all facets of everyday life. LASTDANCE is not one of them.

I could write many things about LASTDANCE but I%u2019m limited to the number of characters to post on this board. So, having said that, and, in closing, I want all of you to know that LASTDANCE%u2019s feeble minded attempts to discredit the people he disagrees with is not only laughable, but down right farcical.

LASTDANCE is a nincompoop, a dumkopf, if you will%u2026%u2026

Yes LASTDANCE, you%u2019re the enemy. You%u2019re the disease that needs to be cured.

Love, Poopusbuttus.