[Dean's World] Ali Eteraz: 'Pakistan's 9/11': Bhutto's Suicide Welcome

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Posted by Ali Eteraz:
'Pakistan's 9/11': Bhutto's Suicide Welcome
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1192786071.shtml


   I'm sure you've picked up on the horrible attack last night. [1]Here
   is something I wrote up:

     Today in Karachi, Pakistan, at midnight, a pair of suicide bomb
     attacks went off in ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's caravan.
     This is her first day back in Pakistan.

     At the moment, the death-toll is 125 with almost 600 injured. The
     numbers of both are rising. Bhutto, along with top ranking members
     of Pakistan's People's Party, were all atop the truck that was hit,
     waving to supporters on the ground. The caravan was headed to the
     mausoleum of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

     Eyewitnesses on Pakistani TV are saying that immediately after the
     bombs they felt human flesh hitting them in the head.

     In private correspondence with me, one Daily Times Pakistan
     columnist referred to the attacks as "Pakistan's 9/11." The reason
     for her reference has to do not necessarily with the death-toll but
     with the gravity of the attack. The area in Karachi where the bombs
     hit is called Karsaz. It is a high-end residential area, populated
     by the family of businessmen and other "old money." These people
     have significant pull in the country's politics and will naturally
     seek revenge. Geo TV, Pakistan's top private news-station captured
     the bomb blast on TV, and undoubtedly the image will be seared into
     the minds of the Pakistani public. The enormous death toll, the
     camera documented carnage, the media-storm that was already present
     at the caravan, will all make certain that these two bombs will
     echo long into the future of Pakistani public. They will most
     certainly affect the upcoming parliamentary elections.

References

   1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-eteraz/pakistans-911-benazi_b_69072.html