2007 Karsaz bombing

Last updated

2007 Karsaz bombing
Location Karachi, Pakistan
Date18 October 2007
Target Benazir Bhutto and her supporters
Attack type
 Suicide attack, bomb
Deaths180 [1]
Injured500 [1] [2]

The Karsaz bombing attack occurred on 18 October 2007 in Karachi, Pakistan; it was an attack on a motorcade carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The bombing occurred two months before she was assassinated.

Contents

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. [3] Police vehicles bore the brunt of the blasts, which completely destroyed three police vans and killed at least 20 policemen in the vehicles. [4] 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 said 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, 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 could probe in a very objective manner.[ citation needed ]

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.[ citation needed ] Musharraf's regime blamed terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and elements of the Taliban in Pakistan instead.[ citation needed ]

Al-Qaeda's chief of operations for Pakistan, 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. [6] [7]

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud was also implicated in the attack. He was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in August 2009. [8] [9]

Victims

The bombing resulted in at least 180 deaths and 500 injuries. [1] [2] [10] [5] Most of the dead were members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Former Pakistan national football team player Abdul Khaliq was also among the deceased. [11]

Reaction

Pakistan

Other countries

International organisations

See also

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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; Masood, Salman (20 October 2007). "Bhutto Says She Warned of Plotting Days Before Attack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  3. ↑ "Scores dead in Pakistan bomb blasts". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "At least 119 dead as bombs target Bhutto". Agence France-Presse. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bhutto convoy blasts kill scores". BBC News. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Jan. 1 Attack By CIA Killed Two Leaders Of Al-Qaeda". The Washington Post .
  7. ↑ "Pakistan al-Qaeda leaders 'dead'". BBC News. 9 January 2009.
  8. ↑ "I have sent my men to welcome Benazir". DAWN.COM. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Taliban confirm commander's death". BBC News. 25 August 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Death toll rises in Bhutto attack". CNN . 27 December 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Footballer Khaliq dies in Karachi blasts – Business Recorder" . Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Bhutto hits out over bomb attack". BBC News. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. 1 2 Shah, Imtiaz (19 October 2007). "Pakistan's Bhutto vows no surrender to militants". Reuters– via www.reuters.com.
  14. ↑ "Fatima Bhutto criticises Benazir". Dawn. 22 October 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  15. ↑ "PM fingers al-Qaeda for Karachi blasts". News.com.au. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  16. ↑ "136 killed as blasts rip through crowds welcoming Bhutto", CBC News, 18 October 2007
  17. ↑ "In quotes: Bhutto blast reaction". BBC News. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "India assails attack on Benazir". DAWN.COM. 20 October 2007.
  19. ↑ "PM condemns Pakistan bomb attack". www.number10.gov.uk. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007.
  20. ↑ "Commonwealth condemns attack on convoy of Mrs Benazir Bhutto". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007.
  21. ↑ "UN: BAN KI-MOON VOICES SHOCK AT DEADLY BOMB ATTACK TARGETING EX-LEADER OF PAKISTAN: 18 October 2007" . Retrieved 6 November 2014.

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