Thursday, December 27, 2007

Benazir Bhutto 1953-2007

Photo from Southwestern University Magazine (2005)

~*~

As everyone knows by now, she is gone.

Please see ProblemChylde's excellent post, which contains copious links.

I hardly think it's any coincidence that www.help-pakistan.com is also down, which was the link to the "Don't Block the Blog!" graphic on my blog. The link disappeared shortly after she was murdered.

I am leaving the link up as an act of hope that the blog will someday return.

Pakistan anger sparks civil war fear

by Zahid Hussain in Islamabad | December 28, 2007, THE AUSTRALIAN
THE assassination of Benazir Bhutto has triggered a wave of violent protests, raising fears of a full-blown civil war in Pakistan.

Within hours of Ms Bhutto's death, angry mobs took to the streets, attacking police patrols and government buildings.

At least five people were reported killed in Karachi, the southern port city and Ms Bhutto's hometown, where thousands of protesters fired shots, blocked roads with burning cars and torched government buildings.

Two more people were shot dead in the eastern city of Lahore and two people were killed in smaller towns in the eastern province of Sindh.

A mob set fire to a passenger train in Hyderabad in Ms Bhutto's political stronghold of Sindh province, and police fired teargas into crowds in Peshawar, in the country's volatile northwest.

The mood was tense in the Sindh town of Larkana, where crowds set two banks on fire.

In the central city of Multan some protesters fired shots into the air and many shouted slogans, including "Long live Bhutto" and "Musharraf is a dog", in reference to the President.

Paramilitary forces were put on red alert and ordered to clamp down on any violent protest. "There is trouble almost everywhere," a senior police official said.

Hundreds of Ms Bhutto's supporters had gathered outside the hospital in the garrison town of Rawalpindi where she was taken.

On hearing of her death, some just wept but many turned violent, smashing the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit and throwing stones at nearby cars.

They then clashed with the police, shouting: "Killer, killer, Musharraf".

Leaders of Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party fanned the flames by accusing the Government of a fatal security lapse.

"We repeatedly informed the Government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers, but they paid no heed to our requests," said Rehmani Malik, a PPP spokesman.

Ms Bhutto had been the target of a twin suicide attack in October but had decided to continue campaigning for elections scheduled for January 8.

That attack in Karachi had resulted in the deaths of more than 140 people.

In her last address Ms Bhutto, who was tipped strongly to become prime minister, called on Pakistanis to fight against Islamic militancy, which she described as the biggest threat to the country's security.

Her pro-Western views had made her a target of Islamic militants, who had gained strength, particularly in provinces in the northwest.
Please pray for the people of Pakistan.

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Listening to: Bob Marley & the Wailers - Redemption Song
via FoxyTunes