Thursday was the worst for Pakistan and an indication of dark future of democracy in the country. Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, 54, was assassinated at 6:46 IST when she was leaving Liyakat Bagh in Rawalpindi after attending a public rally. According to the report, two gunmen opened fire at her vehicle when she was about to move from the place.
Five bullets were fired, one of which pierced her neck. Before opening fire, a suicide bomber blew himself near the vehicle and killed more than 20 people and injured several others. She was rushed to Rawalpindi general hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Later, Rahman Malik, the PPP chairperson’s security adviser, confirmed that some unidentified persons opened fired at Bhutto’s vehicle before the suicide attacker blew himself up. She is survived by her husband Asif Ali Zardari and two children.
Pakistani government sounded high alert across the country and President Pervez Musharraf convened an emergency meeting with his top advisers to review the situation. He also blamed terrorists for Benazir’s assassination and said he would redouble his efforts to restrict them.
He said:
This is the work of those terrorists with whom we are engaged in war. I have been saying that the nation faces the greatest threats from these terrorists. Today after this tragic incident, I want to express my firm resolve.I also seek solidarity from the nation and cooperation and help - we will not rest until we eliminate these terrorists and root them out. He also announced three-day mourning for Bhutto in Pakistan.
Now, it will be a tough situation for US President Bush because Bhutto’s assassination has threatened to derail Bush’s plans to bring stability to Pakistan. Bush has urged to government in Pakistan to stick on the path to democracy.
The message from US to Musharraf is clear - Bush wanted the Musharraf regime should not use the incident as an excuse for extending military rule in Pakistan; and second, he asked for the killers to be brought to justice.
Which way Pakistan will go now? After Benazir who? Can Musharraf control the rising extremism across the country? Is Nawaz safe in Pakistan? Is democracy an answer to Pakistan? So many questions but there is no answer.
Bhutto’s murder has thrown Pakistan into one of the worst disasters in past 60 years. It may lead to widespread civil war and the cancellation of elections as well.
