2007 Karsaz attack

2007 Karsaz attack
Location Karachi, Pakistan
Date 18 October 2007
Target Benazir Bhutto and her supporters
Attack type
 Suicide attack, bomb
Deaths 180[1]
Non-fatal injuries
 500[1][2]

The 2007 Karsaz attack of 18 October 2007 in Karachi, Pakistan, was an attack on a motorcade carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The bombing occurred two months before she was assassinated. The bombing resulted in at least 180 deaths and 500 injuries.[1][2][3] [4][5] Most of the dead were members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The bombing

The streets of Karachi ground to a halt to welcome the return of Benazir Bhutto, after an eight-year self-imposed exile during which she lived in Dubai and London. Two explosions occurred in front of the rallying truck from which she greeted her supporters and party members at approximately 00:52 PST, on the route about halfway from the airport to the tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah for a scheduled rally, just after Bhutto's truck had crossed a bridge.[6] Police vehicles bore the brunt of the blasts, which completely destroyed three police vans and killed at least 20 policemen in the vehicles.[7] Conflicting reports indicate that Bhutto, who was not injured in the attack, was either sitting on top of the truck[5] or had just climbed into the compartment of the truck at the time of the explosion.

Bhutto was escorted to her residence, Bilawal House. The victims were rushed to Jinnah Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital, Civil Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. In a press conference on 19 October 2007, Bhutto claimed that her security team were unable to prevent the attack because of the streetlights being turned off, and called for an inquiry into why this happened.[2]

On 20 October 2007, authorities released a photograph of the suspect responsible for the suicide attack. On 23 October, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz rejected Pakistan Peoples Party's demand for a probe into the suicide blast by foreign experts, expressing confidence that Pakistani law-enforcement agencies can probe in a very objective manner.

In the immediate aftermath of the attempt on her life, Bhutto wrote a letter to General Pervez Musharraf naming four persons whom she suspected of engineering the attacks. Careful not to name Musharraf himself, she chose to name senior military officials and politicians in Musharraf's regime instead, including Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a rival PML-Q politician and the then chief minister of the province of Punjab, Hamid Gul, former director of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, and Ijaz Shah, director general of the Intelligence Bureau, another premier military intelligence agency on Pakistan. Musharraf's regime blamed terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and elements of the Taliban in Pakistan instead.

Al-Qaeda's Pakistan operations chief, Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam, was believed to be behind the attack. He was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan along with his lieutenant Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan on 1 January 2009.[8]

Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was also implicated in the attack. He was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in August 2009.[9][10]

Reaction

Pakistan

Other countries

International organisations

See also

Wikinews has related news: 'Large-scale attack' against ex-Prime Minister Bhutto leaves more than 100 dead in Pakistan

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Karsaz incident had occurred on October 18, 2007, when two blasts hit the welcoming rally of BB.". Dunya News. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Gall, Carlotta; Salman Masood (20 October 2007). "Bhutto Says She Warned of Plotting Days Before Attack". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  3. ↑ "CHRONOLOGY-Attacks in Pakistan since July 2007". Reuters. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Death toll rises in Bhutto attack". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bhutto convoy blasts kill scores BBC News – 18 October 2007". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Al Jazeera English, Scores dead in Pakistan bomb blasts.
  7. ↑ At least 119 dead as bombs target Bhutto.
  8. ↑ "Pakistan al-Qaeda leaders 'dead'". BBC News. 9 January 2009.
  9. ↑ http://dawn.com/2012/08/07/i-have-sent-my-men-to-welcome-benazir/
  10. ↑ "Taliban confirm commander's death". BBC News. 25 August 2009.
  11. ↑ "Bhutto hits out over bomb attack". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 Pakistan blasts kill 123 as Bhutto returns
  13. ↑ "Fatima Bhutto criticises Benazir". Dawn. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  14. ↑ "news.com.au
  15. ↑ "136 killed as blasts rip through crowds welcoming Bhutto", CBC News, 18 October 2007
  16. ↑ "In quotes: Bhutto blast reaction". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "India assails attack on Benazir"
  18. ↑ "PM condemns Pakistan bomb attack", www.number10.gov.uk, 19 October 2007
  19. ↑ "Commonwealth condemns attack on convoy of Mrs Benazir Bhutto", Commonwealth Secretariat, 19 October 2007
  20. ↑ ""UN: BAN KI-MOON VOICES SHOCK AT DEADLY BOMB ATTACK TARGETING EX-LEADER OF PAKISTAN: 18 October 2007"". Retrieved 6 November 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 24°51′00″N 67°00′00″E / 24.8500°N 67.0000°E / 24.8500; 67.0000

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