Bhutto: Attack Had Higher Aim: Says Bombing Was an Assault on Democracy

By Kim Barker, Chicago Tribune

Oct. 20–KARACHI, Pakistan — As family members collected the dead and searched for the missing, Pakistanis tried to make sense Saturday of what the deadly attack on the homecoming procession of Benazir Bhutto means for the turbulent country’s future.

No one claimed responsibility for the two blasts, which killed at least 136 people, the highest toll in Pakistan’s history. President Pervez Musharraf, who was involved in negotiations with Bhutto over a possible U.S.-backed power-sharing deal, called the former prime minister to offer condolences and pushed for an investigation to be finished as quickly as possible, said his spokesman Rashid Qureshi. Bhutto, who flew to Karachi from Dubai on Thursday after eight years of self-imposed exile, was defiant Friday. She said that two suicide bombers caused the explosions and that her security forces detained a third man in a suicide belt and a fourth with a gun. She said she escaped the attack after deciding to rest away from the crowds because her feet were swollen, her shoes tight and she wanted to work on a speech.

Bhutto also said she expected another attempt on her life.

“For me, the attack was not on an individual,” Bhutto told reporters. “The attack was not on me. The attack was on what I represent — it was an attack on democracy.”

On Friday, the country struggled with the ramifications of the bombs, which exploded just after midnight as thousands of well-wishers surrounded Bhutto’s armored truck, danced and shouted slogans. The attacks struck at the heart of a power-sharing deal between former rivals Bhutto and Musharraf, facing his biggest crisis since seizing power in a military coup in 1999. They also raised questions about how any politician will be able to campaign for the parliamentary elections in January and about how successful the government has been at fighting terrorists.

But for some here, the crisis was much more personal. Hundreds of thousands of people came from across Pakistan to welcome Bhutto. On Friday, dozens of family members and friends showed up at the city morgues of Karachi, looking for loved ones.

Although there were no official suspects, many blamed Islamic militants. Bhutto, a liberal, outspoken woman, is hated by many, especially after she said she would allow U.S. strikes on Pakistani soil. Some said the government could be behind the attacks, an allegation Qureshi dismissed as ridiculous.

In recent months, Islamic militants have increased attacks in the country’s remote tribal areas but have also started attacking in the cities. Some analysts and advocates said Friday that the blasts showed that terrorists were able to hit anywhere they wanted.

“My greatest concern is there is a complete and utter failure to control any attack by terrorists,” said Iqbal Haider, secretary general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and former law minister under Bhutto. “There is no writ of the government.”

Western diplomats have said in recent months that the political turmoil in Pakistan has distracted Musharraf from the U.S.-led war on terror. Musharraf’s attempt to fire the country’s chief justice in March sparked nationwide protests and calls for him to step down as army chief. Musharraf has indicated he will soon take off his army uniform, as long as his recent presidential election is not thrown out by the Supreme Court.

Bhutto, a two-time prime minister and leader of the popular Pakistan People’s Party, was seen by the West as a possible stabilizing factor who could help lead Pakistan toward democracy.

But a purported deal between Musharraf and Bhutto has angered many in Pakistan. Many supporters were upset that Bhutto, whose father was hanged by the military ruler who overthrew him and whose party has traditionally opposed military rule, had signed on with another military leader. And many Bhutto opponents were angered that the government agreed to dismiss the corruption charges that caused Bhutto to flee the country in the first place.

Although Bhutto’s husband said Friday that the pending deal might need to be re-examined, both Musharraf and Bhutto appeared conciliatory toward each other, despite Bhutto’s insinuations that elements linked to the government could have been behind the attacks. Musharraf called Bhutto on Friday and said he would take every step possible to catch the perpetrators, Qureshi said.

“The president expressed his shock and profound grief over the incident and prayed for the safety and security of Ms. Bhutto,” he said.

Bhutto said that Musharraf had called and said he was very sad and pointed out that he had also been the victim of assassination attempts. She also said she did not blame the government for the attacks at this time — just certain people who abused their power.

At her news conference, Bhutto also called for an investigation into why the street lights were not on along her planned route from the airport to her home and said that if the street were lit, her security guards would have been able to spot the suicide bombers who blew themselves up yards from her armored truck early Friday morning.

“We couldn’t see,” Bhutto said. “We were moving in the darkness, we could not see around us.”

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kbarker@tribune.com

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