BENAZIR BHUTTO DEAD

Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto died on Thursday from her injuries sustained in a suicide attack, a party aide said.

''At 6:16 pm she expired,'' said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto's party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital where Bhutto died.

A senior military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, confirmed that Bhutto had died.

A suicide bomber had struck shortly after Bhutto addressed a political rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday, killing at least 25 people, witnesses said.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene could see body parts and flesh scattered at the back gate of the Liaqat Bagh park where Bhutto had spoken. He counted about 20 bodies, including police, and could see many other wounded people.

Another police official, Saud Aziz, said it was a suicide attack.

Farahtullah Babar, spokesman for Bhutto party, said her vehicle was about 50 meters away from blast, just after leaving the rally venue in Rawalpindi.

"She had just crossed the gate when we heard a deafening sound. We could feel its impact but by the grace of God she is safe," he said. "She has been moved to a safe place."

Party supporter Chaudhry Mohammad Nazir said that two gunshots rang out when Bhutto's vehicle pulled into the main street and then there was a big blast next to her car.

Police cordoned off the street with white and red tape, and rescue workers rushed to put victims in ambulances as people wailed nearby.

Body parts, pieces of clothing and party banners scattered on the street. The clothing of some of the victims was shredded and people put party flags over their bodies. Police caps and shoes littered the asphalt.

It was the second suicide attack apparently targeting the former prime minister in two months.

Her homecoming parade in southern city of Karachi from an eight-year exile on October 18 was also targeted, killing more than 140 people.

On Thursday, hundreds of riot police had manned security checkpoints to guard the venue. It was Bhutto's first public meeting in Rawalpindi since she came back to the country.

Rahman Malik, Bhutto's security adviser, told Pakistan's Geo news channel that she escaped unhurt just because she was in a bulletproof vehicle.

"She was the prime target," he said. "I have been told by eyewitnesses that someone first opened fire and then detonated the bomb ... We had information that Benazir Bhutto's life is in danger."

Malik said one of the vehicles in Bhutto's convoy was badly damaged.

In November, Bhutto had also planned a rally in the city, but President Pervez Musharraf forced her to cancel it, citing security fears.

In recent weeks, suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted security forces in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital where Musharraf stays and the Pakistan army has its headquarters.

Earlier Thursday, pro-government party supporters clashed with backers of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif a few kilometers from Rawalpindi, killing four people and wounding three.


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