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Suicide attackers strike as Benazir's party reads her will
ISLAMABAD (AP): Suicide attackers tried to kill a leading Pakistani politician Sunday as members of Benazir Bhutto's political party prepared for critical meetings on whether to boycott Jan. 8 elections following her assassination.The Pakistan People's Party meeting also was set to read Ms Bhutto's last will and testament and consider her replacement as leader. The meeting comes amid controversy surrounding her death, which triggered nationwide riots and thrust the nuclear-armed country into deep political crisis. The government rejected suggestions it should enlist foreign help in investigating Ms Bhutto's killing Thursday in a suicide bomb and gun attack. The Islamic militant group blamed by officials for the attack denied any links to the killing, and Ms Bhutto's aides accused the government of a cover-up. A pullout by the Pakistan People's Party could destroy the credibility of next month's poll, already being boycotted by Pakistan's other main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif. Washington has pressured its ally, President Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a coup eight years ago, to push ahead with the election to promote stability in the country and help it better fight rising violence by al-Qaida and Taliban militants. Mass unrest among her supporters since Thursday has left at least 44 people dead and tens of millions of dollars of damage. Rioters have destroyed 176 banks, 34 gas stations, 72 train cars, 18 rail stations, and hundreds of cars and shops. Sunday's suicide attack was the first in Pakistan since Bhutto's killing. Two suspected militants blew themselves up close to the residence of residence of Ijazul Haq, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, in eastern Pakistan, said Zafar Abbas Bukhari, the district police chief. Both men died, but there were no other casualties. Police said Haq was the target of the attack, but was not home at the time. Haq was minister for religious affairs in July when the government launched a military operation against a militant-linked mosque in Islamabad, killing over 100 people. He is reportedly on a militant hit list. Meanwhile, uncertainty intensified over the circumstances of Ms Bhutto's assassination as she waved to supporters from the sunroof of her armored vehicle outside a campaign rally. Video footage shows a man shooting at her three times from close range seconds before her car is caught up in an explosion from a suicide attacker. Authorities initially said she died from bullet wounds, but subsequently Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said Bhutto was killed when the shockwaves from the suicide bomb smashed her head into the sunroof as she tried to duck back inside the vehicle. Ms Bhutto's spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said, ``We saw a bullet wound in the back of her neck. What the government is saying is actually dangerous and nonsensical. They are pouring salt on our wounds.'' The government blamed the attack on the Tehrik-i-Taliban, a newly formed coalition of Islamic militants led by Baitullah Mehsud along the Afghan border believed to be linked to al-Qaeda and committed to waging holy war against the government. But Mehsud spokesman Maulana Mohammed Umer said ``We strongly deny it. Baitullah Mehsud is not involved in the killing of Benazir Bhutto.'' Posted by: john frum 2007-12-30 |
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