Who Killed Benazir Bhutto?

By Anastacia Mott Austin

The hours after the assassination of popular, controversial Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto have been as predicted – bloody and chaotic.

Riots have erupted in Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed, as well as in many other areas.

Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has denounced the assassination as the work of al-Qaeda, and indeed websites run by jihadists are claiming credit for the attack.

A representative of the Interior Ministry told the Associated Press, "We have intelligence intercepts indicating that al Qaeda leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination."

The United States has agreed with Musharraf that the likely culprits are al-Qaeda or Taliban operatives.

But the majority of Pakistani civilians are blaming Musharraf, saying that if the government itself is not directly responsible, it at least shares some of the blame for failing to provide sufficient protection for Bhutto.

Retired Lieutenant General Hamid Gul, formerly of the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), told the press, "It's very convenient for the security forces to call it a suicide bomber because they can cover up the possibility someone else was behind the attack."

As a long-time ally of Musharraf, the United States was taking its share of the blame from among the people on the streets. Rumors and suspicion ran rampant among citizens, who were happy to share their sentiments with the press. "Rumor is that America is involved in this with Musharraf's help," said a street vendor to reporters from TIME, as a passerby agreed.

However, political experts point out that with Bhutto’s assassination, the United States’ plan for a shared power agreement between Musharraf and Bhutto has been dashed, and that the U.S. had high hopes of Bhutto’s election.

Rumors have also persisted as to how Bhutto was actually killed. Initial press reports stated that a gunman shot the controversial leader in the neck, head, or chest, right before he blew himself up. Later reports said that Bhutto had actually been killed during the bomb blast, or that she had fractured her skull against the sunroof of her vehicle as the bomb went off. The latter has been the official word from Musharraf’s office.

If nothing else, the mounting suspicions from the mouths of the Pakistani people point to the increasing distrust of their President, and do not bode well for the political future of democracy in Pakistan. Many fear that the planned January 8th elections will not occur, and indeed under the present circumstances it seems nearly impossible for a fair and free election to happen.

Bhutto’s main opponent in the upcoming election was Nawaz Sharif, who now says that his party will boycott any election. Sharif told the press that he blames Musharraf for Bhutto’s death, saying "Free elections are not possible in the presence of Musharraf. Musharraf is the root cause of all problems."