Al-Qaida linked to Bhutto assassination

Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suspected al-Qaida attack as she left an election rally today, throwing the country into turmoil.

The assassin struck moments after Ms Bhutto addressed a rally in the city.

She left the podium flanked by men in suits and stepped into an armoured car.

But as she made her way through the crowd, thronging around the vehicle, she appeared through the roof waving to supporters.

Moments later the attacker opened fire, shooting her in the neck and chest before blowing himself up.

Suspicion has immediately fallen on resurgent Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban who hated Ms Bhutto for her close ties to the West and support for the war on terror.

A local Taliban leader threatened to greet her return to the country in October with suicide bombings.

Her death left a void at the top of her Pakistan People's Party, the largest political group in the country. It also threw into turmoil America's plan to bring stability to its key ally by reconciling her and President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Musharraf convened an emergency meeting with his senior staff to discuss whether to postpone the parliamentary elections due on January 8 in which Ms Bhutto and her party had been the leading opposition contenders.

Her death threw the campaign into chaos and created fears of mass protests and an eruption of violence across the country.

Confirmation of the death came from party member Wasif Ali Khan who was at Rawalpindi's General Hospital.

"At 6.16pm she expired," he said. Her lawyer added: "The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred."

Her security adviser Rehman Malik said she was shot in the neck and chest.

"We repeatedly informed the government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers (devices to foil remote-control detonation of bombs), but they paid no heed to our requests," he said.

As her death was made public supporters at the hospital began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog," referring to Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.

Some of them smashed the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit, others burst into tears.

In recent weeks, suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted security forces in Rawalpindi, which is near to the capital Islamabad where Mr Musharraf stays and the Pakistan army has its headquarters.

Munib Anwar of the Pakistan Lawyers’ Action Committee claimed that the “American-supported military government” was partly responsible for her death.

“They brought these terrorists into Pakistan,” he said.

“This is a very sad day for Pakistan’s people and its democracy.

“She was such a brave woman. The hopes for a democratic Pakistan have been dashed today.

“She was the one great hope for Pakistan. Where are we now?”