Violence Erupts After Bhutto’s Arrest - how much?

November 9th, 2007 ali · No Comments

source: http://www.cbsnews.com

CBS/AP) Pakistani police backed by armored vehicles placed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto under house arrest in Islamabad Friday and reportedly rounded up 5,000 of her supporters to block a mass protest against emergency rule.

Bhutto tried twice to leave by car but was blocked by police amid scuffles with her supporters who tried to remove barricades. The former prime minister had planned to address a rally in nearby Rawalpindi, defying a ban on public gatherings.

Police parked an armored personnel carrier in the street to block Bhutto’s white Landcruiser. Bhutto got out of the vehicle and stood alongside dozens of supporters who shouted “Go Musharraf Go!” in reference to Pakistani President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, a bomb explosion at the home of a government minister in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed at least four people, police said.

The attack happened at the residence of the minister for political affairs, Amir Muqam, and also wounded three people, said Aslam Khan, a local police official.

Muqam said he saw two or three dead in the blast - members of his security staff. Police said the bombing was a suicide attack.

Kamal Shah, a top Interior Ministry official, said a district magistrate had served a “detention order” on Bhutto so she could not leave her home. Rehman, however, said no arrest papers had been served on Bhutto.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported that officials did try to serve arrest papers to Bhutto, but she refused to take them and went back inside. According to the BBC report, the detention order is valid for 30 days.

Speaking by phone from the scene, Bhutto said that no arrest papers had been served on her.

“If I’m arrested the People’s Party of Pakistan workers will continue to fight for democracy and the rule of law,” she told reporters who heard the call via speakerphone.

CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports Bhutto’s home was surrounded by armed security forces, armored vehicles and barbed wire in the early morning hours.

Authorities were adamant the rally Bhutto planned in nearby Rawalpindi would not go ahead - under the government’s emergency powers declared a week ago, mass gatherings are banned. Mayor Javed Akhlas also said there was a “credible report” of six or seven suicide bombers in the city.

News video showed police clashing with Bhutto supporters in Rawalpindi and in Peshawar, and there were reportedly dozens of new arrests made……

Editorial: I just saw Fox news telecasting some really old scenes of violence in Pakistan (with fire and stuff ….the kind that makes Pakistan look like Somalia). Its little wonder I get asked by some of my foreigner friends if ‘the streets of Pakistan are safe?’.

When newsweek came out with ‘The Most dangerous nation in the world isnt Iraq. Its Pakistan.’ Did they know about the emergency? Or did lady luck shine on them? Whatever the case, we as a nation have gone from being ‘country thats close to India’ some 8 years ago to a very known one thats associated more with being a failed state and linked to terrorism. Sad!