Bhutto Attack Probably Plotted by Taliban Chief, Ministry Says
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By Khalid Qayum and Khaleeq Ahmed
Dec. 28 (Bloomberg) -- A Taliban commander linked to al- Qaeda is suspected of plotting the suicide bombing that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's government said.
Authorities have a taped conversation of the Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, in which he congratulates a friend for the killing, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told reporters today in the capital, Islamabad. Mehsud has orchestrated most of the suicide attacks in Pakistan, including a blast that Bhutto survived in October, he said.
The 54-year-old opposition leader was standing in the open sunroof of her blast-proof, bullet-proof car when yesterday's attack took place in Rawalpindi, Cheema said. The lever of the sunroof hit her in the head, causing a fatal skull fracture, he said. She wasn't hit by any of the three bullets that were fired before the bombing, nor by any shrapnel, he said.
``We pray and wish that she had not come out of that sunroof to wave to the people,'' Cheema said. ``Police had advised her not to expose herself, that she might be harmed.''
Bhutto was buried today, as the government sent troops to quell riots across Pakistan. She was interred in the family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Baksh, in the southern province of Sindh, about 480 kilometers (298 miles) north of the commercial capital, Karachi. Thousands of people were shown on television weeping and struggling to touch the coffin. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, her three children and her sister attended the burial.
Riots Erupt
Riots erupted in Pakistan following Bhutto's assassination. Protesters poured onto the streets and set fire to cars, banks and government offices in Karachi, Larkana, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and dozens of towns in Sindh province. The government ordered a judicial inquiry into the killing.
President Pervez Musharraf's immediate task is to restore order, and maintain his hold on power, amid allegations that the government might have been complicit in Bhutto's death or at least failed to do enough to protect her.
Bhutto's killing might ``bring down the government over time, and will create probably months of instability and tension,'' Anthony Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in a report yesterday.
Elections will be held as scheduled on Jan. 8, Interim Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro said. ``Any decision on a possible postponement'' will be discussed with political parties, he told reporters in the capital, Islamabad.
Returned to Pakistan
Musharraf allowed Bhutto to return to Pakistan to participate in the elections. She had lived in Dubai and London since 1999 after being charged in Pakistan with taking kickbacks on state contracts. She wasn't convicted on the charges. The Pakistani president appealed for calm yesterday after her death.
Bhutto was laid to rest in the same tomb where her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was buried two decades ago after being executed. Her brothers, one of whom was killed in France and another in a Karachi shooting, are also buried there.
The stock exchange, central bank and markets closed after Musharraf announced three days of national mourning. The interior minister said the government suspects al-Qaeda was involved in yesterday's suicide bomb attack, although he said he couldn't confirm reports the terrorist network had claimed responsibility.
Pakistan's military deployed troops in Larkana and the southern towns of Shahdadkot and Rohri, army spokesman Waheed Arshad said in a phone interview. As many as 12,000 members of the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary force, were positioned across Sindh province, Dawn News reported.
Flights Canceled
Domestic flights were canceled and train services suspended, GEO television said. At least five people were killed in Karachi as demonstrators exchanged gunfire with police, according to the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan's biggest ambulance service.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his opposition party will boycott next month's national elections, and called on Musharraf to quit as the nation's leader.
``Under the present circumstances and under Musharraf, neither is campaigning possible nor is a free election,'' Sharif told reporters in Islamabad yesterday. Police said at least 16 people died and more than 60 were injured in yesterday's attack.
Sharif postponed traveling to Larkana today after Bhutto's husband advised him not to attend the burial because of security concerns, spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq said by phone.
`Cowardly Act'
President George W. Bush asked Pakistanis ``to honor Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life.''
Bush, who condemned the attack as a ``cowardly act by murderous extremists,'' spoke to Musharraf yesterday from his ranch in Texas. The U.S. had backed a partnership between Bhutto and Musharraf, whose nation has been hailed by the administration as an ally in its campaign against terrorism.
The United Nations Security Council met and agreed unanimously on a statement that ``reaffirms that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.''
The U.K. government advised Britons against ``all but essential travel'' to Pakistan until further notice, according to a statement on the Foreign Office Web site. Travelers already in the country ``should remain in their lodgings and not go out until the situation becomes clearer,'' the Foreign Office said.
Bhutto survived an attempt on her life in the southern city of Karachi when she returned to Pakistan two months ago.
Seconds before yesterday's assassination, Bhutto was photographed wearing a white headscarf, her head and shoulders protruding through the sunroof of her car and waving to the crowds jammed around the vehicle.
`Greatest Threat'
``We will fly the Pakistan flag at half-mast in her honor,'' Musharraf said. ``Terrorists are the greatest threat to Pakistan, and we won't rest till we defeat terrorism.''
Musharraf convened an emergency meeting with top officials yesterday to discuss their response to the assassination, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
India, which has fought three wars with neighboring Pakistan, was one of many governments that condemned the attack.
``The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat,'' Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in an e-mailed statement.
Requested Protection
An American friend of Bhutto's, Washington lawyer Mark Siegel, told CNN that Bhutto e-mailed him on Oct. 26, one week after the attack on her in Karachi, to complain that Musharraf's government wasn't protecting her adequately.
Bhutto said she had requested the government provide her with jamming devices to thwart electronically triggered roadside bombs, special vehicles with tinted windows and four police cars to surround her at all times in her travels, Siegel told CNN. Bhutto said all the requests were denied.
``She became increasingly concerned that her security was not getting better, it was getting worse as she toured the country in preparation for the January 8th election,'' Siegel told the network.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., Mahmud Ali Durrani, also appearing on CNN, denied the accusations, saying Bhutto had received ``unprecedented'' protection for an opposition politician.
To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Qayum in Islamabad at kqayum@bloomberg.net ; Khaleeq Ahmed in Islamabad at paknews@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: December 28, 2007 11:38 EST
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