Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a presumed suicide attack, a military spokesman has announced on TV.
Earlier reports said Ms Bhutto had only been injured and taken to hospital.
Ms Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally in the town of Rawalpindi when the bomb went off.
At least 15 other people are reported killed in the attack and several more were injured. Ms Bhutto had twice been the country's prime minister.
She was campaigning ahead of elections due in January.
'She expired'
The explosion occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking.
The blast caused carnage at the rally
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Ms Bhutto was safe. But later he told the BBC that Ms Bhutto had died.
Another member of the PPP, Wasif Ali Khan, told the Associated Press news agency from the Rawalpindi General Hospital: "At 6:16 pm (1316 GMT) she expired."
Ms Bhutto returned from self-imposed exile in October after years out of Pakistan where she had faced corruption charges.
Her return was the result of a power-sharing agreement with President Musharraf in which he granted an amnesty that covered the court cases she was facing.
Since her return relations with Mr Musharraf have broken down.
On the day of her return she led a motor cavalcade through the city of Karachi. It was hit by a double suicide attack that left some 130 dead.
The PPP has the largest support in the country.
Earlier on Thursday at least four people were killed ahead of an election rally that Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.
I gasped when I turned my Internet news sites on 20 minutes ago. Then I cried. This is just so very sad and so very destabilising. In a country as volatile and hair-triggered as Pakistan this will not only impact on that country but will impact implicitly on the rest of the World.
I gasped when I turned my Internet news sites on 20 minutes ago. Then I cried. This is just so very sad and so very destabilising. In a country as volatile and hair-triggered as Pakistan this will not only impact on that country but will impact implicitly on the rest of the World.
Suzi. Can i ask you what you think should be the next step in Pakistan.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” ~ Winston Churchill
I don't think I am qualified to answer that TPO. I am not of Pakistani origin and do not live in that country. I know that Benazir Bhutto stood for democracy, her party stands for democracy and at the moment Pakistan has a military government. Pakistan has nuclear weapons and nuclear capabilities. In an unstable country with a volatile history that is very concerning.
In a book I read it was saying that Pakistan was fairly calm atm, and it was the border with Afghanistan that was dangerous. It used to be Iran/Iraq. But now Pakistan seems so hugely corrupt. It's scary. How did they fall again! Speaking of corruptness, Belarus is the most corrupt country in Europe.
Corruption Index ranking of European countries:
01. Belarus 02. Azerbaijan 03. Russia 04. Ukraine 05. Moldova
The top 50 countries to live in:
1. Iceland 2. Norway 3. Australia 4. Canada 5. Ireland 6. Sweden 7. Switzerland 8. Japan 9. The Netherlands 10. France
In a book I read it was saying that Pakistan was fairly calm atm, and it was the border with Afghanistan that was dangerous. . . .
That book was not written and published this morning at 7am? Pakistan is a country where things change by the minute now.
It has been central to hot spots in the M.E for USA to use as a base but that may all change now. The people are passionate, with hot and fiery social, religious and political issues and this assassination has caused riots and unrest countrywide. I am not planning a vacation in the Karachi Hilton in the next month or so, and neither will the Australian Cricket Team soon.
And surprise surprise the U.S. are an ally and supporter of the Pakistani Government. Must their dirty little fingers be in every "bloody" pie?
I don't have the answers on how you "fix" these countries. A start would be to not support them! A lot of international pressure and support for the opposition who support real democracy would also be other measures.
And surprise surprise the U.S. are an ally and supporter of the Pakistani Government. Must their dirty little fingers be in every "bloody" pie?
I don't have the answers on how you "fix" these countries. A start would be to not support them! A lot of international pressure and support for the opposition who support real democracy would also be other measures.
C'mon Musharaf has been instrumental in aiding the war in Afghanistan. He has been far from perfect and could do a lot more, but I admire his courage in what must be a delicate balance of trying to please everybody. Pakistan is key to stability in the region. If I was the U.S I would make myself best friends with the Pakistani government as well. Syria and Iran are the problems.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” ~ Winston Churchill
C'mon Musharaf has been instrumental in aiding the war in Afghanistan. He has been far from perfect and could do a lot more, but I admire his courage in what must be a delicate balance of trying to please everybody. Pakistan is key to stability in the region. If I was the U.S I would make myself best friends with the Pakistani government as well. Syria and Iran are the problems.
Don't be fooled by Musharaf's tactics, he is no good guy. Just like any other dictator he will do whatever it takes to remain in power, and befriending the U.S. means no foreign "do-gooders" are going to come in anytime soon and topple him. Like every dictator he does not give a crap about his people. America has given him millions if not billions to allow them to use Pakistan as their launching pad for their operations in the M.E, in return they ignore Pakistan not being a democracy and expanding it's nuclear weapons. It's all dirty.
26 killed in suicide attack on Pakistani police January 11, 2008 - 6:19AM Latest related coverage
At least 22 police and four civilians were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the high court in the commercial heart of Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city.
The bomber triggered a device packed with ball bearings when police stopped him outside the court, two weeks to the day after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide bomb attack.
The blast ripped through a busy square in the city centre as dozens of riot police gathered ahead of a protest by lawyers against the rule of President Pervez Musharraf.
Up to 60 people, many of them police officers, were rushed to hospital after the explosion, the latest in a wave of suicide attacks that have killed hundreds across Pakistan over the past year.
Dead police officers, dressed in full riot gear with protective vests and helmets, were seen lying side-by-side where they had fallen. A dead horse, still attached to a vendor's cart, lay nearby.
"Twenty-two policemen died in the attack, six are critically wounded," said Lahore police chief Malik Iqbal. "Around 35 have minor injuries. The suicide bomber approached the police picket and was signalled to stop."
Hospital sources said four civilians were also killed in the attack.
"It was a very loud blast. I was one of the first who rushed out of the court and I saw a man bleeding from his nose and his mouth. He died minutes later," said lawyer Khurram Latif Khosa.
"I saw about 50 to 60 injured police, bleeding, scattered everywhere. They were asking for water. There were body parts on the ground."
A wounded officer with his clothes apparently blown off by the force of the blast lay in the street screaming for help as security forces scrambled to cordon off the downtown area.
Police said the head of the suspected suicide bomber had been found about 100 metres from the blast site, which was littered with the dead and wounded.
After visiting the blast site, Inspector General of Punjab Police Nasim Ahmed told reporters: "The target was the police force.
"Today's bombing was to demoralise the Punjab police, but it will not. They have given their lives while performing their duty."
More than 800 people have been killed in attacks - mainly suicide bombings targeting the security forces - in Pakistan over the past year, making 2007 the deadliest for militant violence in the country's history.
The unrest has fuelled international fears for the stability of the nuclear-armed Islamic republic, a strategic US ally in the war on terror, ahead of crucial general elections set for February 18.
The polls were delayed for six weeks after the assassination of Bhutto, a passionate defender of secular democracy whose murder at an election rally sparked days of deadly rioting across the country.
Information Minister Nisar Memon said the latest bombing was part of a terrorist campaign to disrupt the elections and derail democracy in the Muslim country of some 160 million people.
"But we want to make it very clear that elections will be held as scheduled," he told state television.
Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro said those responsible for today's "cowardly act" were enemies of Pakistan. "Such elements are not believers in any religion or in any human ethics," he said.
Here's an example of very slight progress in Saudi Arabia as a resault of international and economic pressure. By including these countries in the global economy and applying pressure we can bring about change. This is a decent way we can encourage these countries to move forward, as opposed invading them and killing thousands of people and destroying their countries. At the end of the day the west and the middle east do have a god in common - the almight $, perhaps it can be used for good.
Remember the 3 I's:
1. Inclusion in the global economy 2. International pressure 3. International support for liberals within and outside the Government
(There are many other countries with severe human rights violations, for example China, but we don't hear our friends on the right jumping up and down saying we should invade them and 'fix' them).
Quoted Text
Saudi Arabia eases rules for women Tuesday Jan 22 05:06 AEDT
Saudi authorities, breaking with religious codes that require women to be accompanied by a male guardian, have decided to allow women to stay in hotels on their own, a newspaper reports.
A royal decree allowed the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to lay down new regulations simply requiring women to show personal identification including a photograph, which hotel managers must register with local police, al-Watan said.
Tribal custom and hardline religious strictures limit women's movement in the conservative Islamic state, the only country in the world where women are forbidden from driving.
Saudi women can face harassment from the religious police if they are not accompanied in public areas by a male relative who acts as her "guardian". The rules are less strictly enforced for foreigners and in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's most liberal city.
The paper said the rules, set out in last month's decree, were worked out in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and the religious police organisation, two bodies who rights activists say stand in the way of improved women's rights in Saudi Arabia.
Concern over the country's image abroad and a desire to integrate women into the national economy have driven liberal voices within government to advance more freedoms for women.
King Abdullah has said he supports reforms, including lifting the driving ban, but only when "society" accepts it.
A Saudi delegation faced tough questioning before a panel of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in Geneva last week.
1. Inclusion in the global economy 2. International pressure 3. International support for liberals within and outside the Government
Sound logic and I agree with you, especially point 3. The Islamic serpicos need to bring about change from within and we should do all we can to support them.
Quoted from x452
Here's an example of very slight progress in Saudi Arabia as a result of international and economic pressure. By including these countries in the global economy and applying pressure we can bring about change.
My thoughts echo yours.
Quoted from x452
At the end of the day the west and the middle east do have a god in common - the almighty $, perhaps it can be used for good.
It is the one thing everyone can agree on. We all like money.
If I may quote the character Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street. The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.
Greed may very well save the middle east. Dubai is a perfect example of this and should be the benchmark for other arabic countries. Without doubt the most liberal Islamic country and a credit to them.
Quoted from x452
(There are many other countries with severe human rights violations, for example China, but we don't hear our friends on the right jumping up and down saying we should invade them and 'fix' them).
Is this you just venting as a form of therapy. Seriously nobody left or right thinks like that. Its impossible for me to reply to this as you have made the Mt Everest of generalizations.
Quoted from x452
This is a decent way we can encourage these countries to move forward, as opposed invading them and killing thousands of people and destroying their countries.
Cheap shots even by your standards. Your initial points were valid and had substance.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” ~ Winston Churchill
I am sorry if this offends but I had to laugh when I read the following news report.
Suicide bomber falls down stairs ... Article from: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Khost, Afghanistan
January 24, 2008 11:39am
A WOULD-be suicide bomber fell down a flight of stairs and blew himself up as he headed out for an attack in Afghanistan, police say.
It was the second such incident in two days, with another man killing himself and three others on Tuesday when his bomb-filled waistcoat exploded as he was putting it on in the southern town of Lashkar Gah.
Yesterday's blast was in a busy market area of the eastern town of Khost, a deputy provincial police chief said.
The would-be attacker tripped as he was leaving a building apparently to target an opening ceremony for a mosque that was expected to be attended by Afghan and international military officials, said Sakhi Mir.
"Coming down the stairs, he fell down and exploded. Two civilian women and a man were wounded,'' Mir said.
Suicide attacks are regular feature of an insurgency led by the extremist Taliban movement that was in government between 1996 and 2001. The most deadly was in November 2007 and killed nearly 80 people, most of them school students.
I am sorry innocent bystanders were killed but it doesn't say much for the bombers. Then again I don't suppose they have a work history for that kind of 'job'.
Logged
The poor people of Pakistan must be numb by the daily turbulence in that country now. . . 
