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Bhutto Assassination Sparks Chaos
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Despite Washington's efforts, there was intense and deep-rooted mistrust between the leaders; Bhutto had long assailed Musharraf as a military dictator, while he had referred to her two terms as prime minister in the late 1980s and 1990s as a period of "sham democracy."
Her relationship with Musharraf was complicated and constantly shifting and included both public hostility and private negotiation. After Musharraf declared emergency rule, Bhutto was placed under house arrest on two occasions but was allowed to make public appearances, attend receptions and receive high-level visitors in between.
Bhutto was running for Parliament, and her Pakistan People's Party had been faring well in recent polls. She may have had the support to become prime minister for a third term.
Bhutto's death leaves her party in disarray. The PPP, founded by her father, has long been synonymous with the Bhutto name. Her children are not yet old enough to inherit the mantle of party leadership, however, and there is no obvious successor from outside the family. Two brothers have died under mysterious circumstances.
"She was viewed as the most formidable threat by the pro-Musharraf forces in Pakistan," said Rizvi, the political analyst. "That leaves a void for the anti-Musharraf forces. They'll have a difficult time finding a successor."
Bhutto's public appearances in recent weeks had drawn large crowds and increasingly stringent security checkpoints. At a rally in Peshawar on Wednesday, police stopped a would-be bomber with explosives around his neck. Thursday's rally was not as large as expected, according to those present, apparently because people feared an attack.
Bhutto accused rogue government officials of conspiring with Islamic extremists to assassinate her. The government has vehemently denied the charge.
Distrusting the government, Bhutto relied for protection on her own heavily armed security guards, traveling in a white, bulletproof SUV. She complained at times that the government was not doing enough to ensure her safety.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer reported Thursday that in October, Bhutto sent an e-mail to her U.S. spokesman, Mark Siegel, in which she wrote that if something "bad" happened, Musharraf should be among the people held responsible. "I have been made to feel insecure by his minions," she wrote. Officials declined to provide her with jammers, to protect against roadside bombs, or four police vehicles to surround her SUV at all times, she wrote. Government officials say they protected her as best they could.
Because of security concerns, she had considered giving up political rallies in favor of less-dangerous campaign tactics, including tape-recorded messages. But large rallies form the fabric of political culture in Pakistan, and ultimately Bhutto could not stay away.
Those who had cheered for her at the rally followed her to the hospital, and wailed when they learned she had died.
"This is the height of brutality. They have hanged her father. They have killed her brothers. The government has killed all the good people of Pakistan," said Sarfraz Khan, a doctor. "Please pray for us. Pray for our poor country."
Special correspondents Shahzad Khurram in Rawalpindi and Imtiaz Ali in Peshawar, and staff writers Debbi Wilgoren and Pamela Constable in Washington contributed to this report.
