Benazir Bhutto Killed

POSTED BY Kristin Linder, 27 December 2007

The opposition leader of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has been killed in an attack at a political rally.

Witnesses report she was fired upon by a gunman at close range, then also a victim to the following explosion. Obviously the attackers did not want a repeat of October, when Ms. Bhutto survived a suicide attack.

The story is just breaking, but Veracifier will stay updated as the situation develops. The death of Ms. Bhutto is sure to be a destabilizing force in volatile Pakistan.

Via NYTimes:

Ms. Bhutto’s death is the latest blow to Pakistan’s treacherous political situation. It comes just days after President Pervez Musharraf lifted a state of emergency in the country, which he had used to suspend the Constitution and arrest thousands of political opponents, and which he said he had imposed in part because of terrorist threats by extremists in Pakistan.

Ms. Bhutto had returned to Pakistan with American support and following power-sharing negotiations between Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Musharraf, but once she was in Pakistan those negotiations appeared to break down.