Benazir Bhutto Assassinated At Age 54

Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated. She was shot in the neck on Thursday, December 27, 2007. The vehicle was then blown up, killing 20 others.

She was in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, campaigning to be the prime minister once again. Pakistan's election was scheduled for January 8, 2008.

But now, that election is being postponed, possibly up to six weeks. Bhutto was the prime candidate and the strongest opponent of Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.

On Good Morning America, it was reported that Benazir Bhutto said recently that if anything were to happen to her, President Musharraf would be responsible for it. Al Qaeda is denying its involvement in her assassination.

She was laid to rest in her family's mausoleum in her hometown of Naudero on December 28, 2007. Along with thousands of mourners were her husband and their three teens. Her marriage was reported to be a good one, although it was arranged by her family.

Bhutto was 35 years old when she was elected prime minister. She had recently returned to Pakistan after an eight year self-imposed exile. Interestingly, her first name meant "incomparable".

Fortunately, just last week, the former prime minister completed a book called Reconciliation. Her American publisher says it will be on bookstore shelves in early 2008. **Update--It is currently in bookstores now, May 2008.**

Bhutto's father was also a prime minister of Pakistan. He was hanged back in 1979 by his government for conspiracy to murder.

Her political party is called Pakistan People's Party. Bhutto's 19 year old son, is now going to hear her party, along with the help of his father.

Her supporters across the country rioted, burned buildings, smashed windows, and threw rocks at cars. At least 44 people across the country were killed in these riots.

When Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October of 2007, a suicide bomber was there. He detonated himself during her homecoming parade and killed over 140 people. Bhutto escaped uninjured.

Now there is a new political unrest that affects not only Pakistan but all of the Middle East, with Afghanistan and Iraq included. It is believed that Al Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden, is hiding in the mountains of Pakistan on the Afghanistan border.

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