Scotsman : 136 killed in explosion at centre of Bhutto parade

136 killed in explosion at centre of Bhutto parade

ZEESHAN HAIDER IN KARACHI | October 19, 2007

TWO cars bombs exploded just feet from a truck carrying the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on her celebratory return to Pakistan, killing at least 136 people.

Ms Bhutto had just passed when the blasts happened in Karachi, only hours after she ended her eight-year exile. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire in what police last night believed was a suicide attack.

Police said Ms Bhutto was unhurt and was taken to her house in the city.

Early reports said an initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the vehicle.

A photographer at the scene said he saw between 50 and 60 dead or badly injured people.

He said some of the bodies were in parts.

Azhar Farooqi, Karachi's police chief, said Ms Bhutto was rushed from the area under pre-laid contingency plans.

"She was evacuated very safely and is now in Bilawal House," Mr Farooqi said.

More than 150,000 jubilant supporters had thronged around the convoy carrying Ms Bhutto and lined the route amid massive security.

The procession was heading to a rally near the tomb of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, when the attacks happened. Police had last night cordoned off the scene of the blasts and the area around a stage where she was due to give a speech was evacuated.

Ghulam Mohammed Mohtaram, the provincial home secretary, last night said the main force of the explosion appeared to have been taken by the police vehicle.

Footage from the scene showed bodies on the ground, lying motionless, plus a dozen or more injured, who were moving. At least one vehicle was burning.

Several motorcycles also lay on their sides. Flames burned in the centre of the street after the explosions.

Scores of people, mostly men wearing white robes, fled down the street after the blast.

The government of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, had appealed to Ms Bhutto to abandon plans for a snail-paced parade through Karachi, saying it would leave her vulnerable.

They had urged her to travel in Karachi by helicopter to reduce the risk of attack.

But she had brushed off the concerns, saying: "I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission. This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants."

Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda, angered by her support for the US war on terrorism, had threatened to assassinate her. Some 20,000 security personnel had been deployed in the face of the threatened suicide bomb attacks.

Earlier, she pledged to fight for democracy as she ended her exile amid chaotic scenes at Karachi airport.

"I am thankful to God, I am very happy that I'm back in my country and I was dreaming of this day," a tearful Ms Bhutto said as she disembarked a flight from Dubai and kissed a Koran once she stepped on Pakistani soil.

Ms Bhutto returned to lead her Pakistan People's Party into national elections designed to return the country to civilian rule. For years, she had vowed to return to Pakistan to end military dictatorship, yet she returns as a potential ally for the president Pervez Musharraf, the army chief who took power in a 1999.

She had stood in plain view atop a truck designed to withstand a blast as it edged through a mass of people outside the airport, ignoring police advice to keep behind its bullet-proof glass. "Now that the people have given their verdict, it is necessary that the elections should be free and fair," she said before setting off at the head of the procession.