on MSNBC wil get link later edit: link RAWALPINDI, Pakistan -- Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today in a suicide bombing that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, a party aide and a military official said.
They said on the dutch news that the killer shot her (i believe 2 shots). And after that blew himself up.
She was shot in the neck. Sad to see another human being die. but it's not like she was the future of Pakistan. She was part of the corruption. She would have never have brought a democratic society to Pakistan....bunch of media mumbo jumbo. Can't have democracy in a country that has ZERO sepperation of religion and state.
I suppose you know the in and outs of the corruption charges so I'll have to take your word for it. I just know her last corruption charge was overturned.
Yup.. Unbelievable.. How could she be shot?? with all that security around her and an attack not more than 2 months before. You would think security will be more than alert
While all that may be true and I am by no means an expert in Pakistan’s political workings, from what I understand Bhutto was brought back to Pakistan, with US consent, to buffer Musharraf's political future. And try to appeal to the moderates in the country. Now that she is dead, Musharraf' will probably cancel the upcoming elections again and the US really will have no say in how this will all turn out. Spencer Ackerman is much more eloquent than I on the subject… The most likely culprit is the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda. But it's not exactly an event met with tears by the Pakistani military, which thoroughly controls the government and the economy. After the summer's turbulence with Islamic radicals and Pervez Musharraf's subsequent declaration of martial law -- designed to crack down not on Islamist militants but the remnants of Pakistan's democratic opposition -- the U.S. prevailed upon Musharraf to ally with Bhutto in the interest of broadening Musharraf's base of support. But the event that would consummate the alliance, next month's election, represented a threat to continued military rule. "The military didn't really want civilian politicians in power," says New York University's Barnett Rubin, a South Asia expert. "They wanted to use them to legitimate indirect [military] rule, and they were going to do it by rigging the election." U.S. strategy didn't exactly find that so offensive. "The idea was to consolidate the alliance of the so-called moderate forces in the Pakistani military through this election that the military was going to rig but we were going to certify anyway," Rubin observes. That is, as long as Bhutto was in the picture -- since the U.S. had reduced the democratic opposition to the figure of Benazir Bhutto, although her corruption as PM was manifest. Without Bhutto, it is unclear what the U.S. will do. Bhutto's assassination presents an opportunity for Musharraf. "It's very possible Musharraf will declare [another] state of emergency and postpone the elections," Rubin continues. "That will confirm in many people's minds the idea that the military is behind" the assassination. For it's part, the U.S. will likely "be scrambling to say the election either needs to be held as planned or postponed rather than canceled, but Musharraf is in a position to preempt that." As a result, Rubin says, U.S. strategy is "in tatters." http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004984.php
Yep, it definetly not a good thing. Pakistan is going to be very shaky in the coming days. With her there, and Musharraf stepping down from military leader (not wearing his uniform anymore etc.) Pakistan has been quieter.... Not sure what they are going to do now (the opposition). This is bad though. Marshall law could be coming up.
Pakistan sucks. I wish I could say I'm totally shocked but nothing shocks me coming out of that country any more. Oh...but the nukes are safe. Sure.
man i just found out... i flew from houston to dubai and i am in dubai right now and my flight for karachi is in 4 hours. I hope that the flight wont get cancelled and hopefully it will be safe at the airport
stay safe omair, my little brother and both of my parents landed in islamabad late last night (houston time) and had a connecting flight to lahore. hopefully they made it there safe...i'll have to call my grandfather's house in lahore later today to see how it's going
Spoke to some of my family in Lahore and it seems like things are tense, but not much is happening as of yet. Don't know the situation in Karachi, but I hope you have a safe trip.
I don't understand. They couldn't come up with better security than that? I guess they finally got her..
