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Deadly Attack Greets Bhutto

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By GRIFF WITTE, The Washington Post

Published: October 19, 2007

KARACHI, Pakistan - Two powerful bombs detonated next to a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto late Thursday, just hours after she returned from exile to a triumphal homecoming. More than 120 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of Pakistan's worst episodes of political violence.

Bhutto, who arrived in this coastal city Thursday afternoon after eight years away, appeared shaken but unhurt after the blasts. Security officials said the explosions had been set off within several yards of her vehicle as it inched through the streets, with Bhutto being cheered by thousands of supporters. Only minutes before, she had descended from the roof of the vehicle and into an internal compartment.

The former prime minister was returning in hopes of winning back her old job and bringing stability to a political system that has been in turmoil in recent months under the military-led government of President Pervez Musharraf. The bombings - within 30 seconds of each other - threatened to plunge Pakistan into deeper tumult.

Bhutto long has been targeted by Islamic extremists for her secular views, and Taliban militants had threatened to greet her return with suicide bombings. Despite the threats, she insisted on coming home as scheduled. She made that point again Thursday on her flight from Dubai, saying she had not had time to be afraid during the frantic preparations for what was to be a national tour.

Her party had been pushing the government to intensify security, and after the bombings, some supporters laid blame on security officials. Musharraf denounced the attack as 'a conspiracy against democracy.'

The blasts came as Bhutto's convoy was en route from the airport to a planned public meeting at the tomb of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder. One of the explosions was captured on videotape; Pakistani television showed images of a sudden burst of light and a tower of flame that sent projectiles flying in every direction while the crowd scattered for cover.

After the explosions, Bhutto's supporters reported hearing gunshots, and there were three indentations in the glass screen of her truck that appeared to have been caused by bullets.

Angry members of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said the government had been too lax in providing protection, with some even suggesting that elements of the government had been complicit.

'They don't want the Bhutto family to be successful here,' said Abdul Habib Memon, a member of Bhutto's party.

Karachi's police chief, Farooqi Ahmed, denied that his forces were anything less than vigilant and noted that a large number of police officers had been killed. Ahmed also said Bhutto would have 'definitely' been killed had it not been for extra security efforts provided by the government, including a bullet- and shock-resistant container in which Bhutto was riding.

Bhutto arrived at the Karachi airport Thursday afternoon from Dubai, where she had spent much of her exile. As she stepped teary-eyed onto the tarmac at 2:16 p.m., she turned her head to the sky and said: 'It's great to be back home. It is a dream come true.'

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