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Benazir Bhutto Assassinated
Aired December 27, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events coming into the NEWSROOM live on this Thursday morning.
We begin with breaking news out of Pakistan. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is dead, assassinated after a suicide bombing.
HARRIS: We have live reports and extensive coverage throughout the morning right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Breaking news to tell you about in Pakistan this morning. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. She died of wounds suffered after an attack at her campaign rally in Rawalpindi. A suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to a compound where the rally was being held. She was just leaving the area.
Pakistan's main TV networks report she died of bullet wounds after a speech to thousands of supporters. At least 14 other people are confirmed dead in the bombing. Bhutto was a leading opposition voice against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. This video you're looking at some of the last known taken of the former prime minister.
HARRIS: CNN producer Mohsin Naqvi was at the scene of the suicide bombing in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He joins us live by phone from the hospital where the former prime minister died.
Mohsin, if you would, tell -- for people just joining us and getting their first glimpse of these pictures of the breaking news this morning -- if you would, take us through the course of events of today, starting with the rally organized by supporters of Benazir Bhutto.
MOHSIN NAQVI, CNN PRODUCER: Benazir Bhutto started her day with -- she had a meeting with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and after that, Bhutto -- both leaders being statesmen -- support the war against terror and they will support USA. And, after that, she went to her house and after a few hours she left for the rally.
Before she left for the rally, she had a short conversation with CNN and in which she said -- she told CNN about her meeting with President Karzai and she said she has told Mr. Karzai that she want to continue the fight against terrorism and she wants to continue the operation against Al-Qaeda in Pakistani tribal area.
After that, there were thousands of people who gathered Rawalpindi compound where she addressed those thousands of people. It was a big public rally which she was doing every day. She was giving speeches everyday across Pakistan and after that, rally was finishing -- there are video now on a local TV channel in which she was sitting in her jeep.
As she was sitting in her jeep, there was some pictures of those also and after that, according to police, one of the -- there was one suicide bomber attacked her actually on that jeep in which she was sitting.
HARRIS: So, she was, in fact, sitting in the jeep when the attacker fired on the jeep and, then, set off a suicide bomb. Is that correct?
NAQVI: We can't confirm about the fire but yet we can confirm that there was a suicidal bombing in which -- after that -- now doctors are confirming that she died in that bombing.
HARRIS: OK, Mohsin, I know that you're also at the hospital. Tell us what you've learned from the hospital.
NAQVI: Now, we can see angry mob everywhere, chanting slogans. They are just crying. They are just sitting on the road. Traffic is starting again. Police is questioning the rallyists and other people to leave the area. They are trying to maintain law and order but, the angry men -- thousands of people --have gathered here and they are -- we can see now the people are burning tires also and they have gathered in big number.
HARRIS: Mohsin, can you confirm to us whether or not she was killed as a result of the blast or whether she was killed as a result of gunshot wounds?
NAQVI: We can't confirm anything about the gunshot -- only a different wound -- some of her party workers are claiming -- but the doctors have confirmed that she has died but they haven't told either she was killed because of bomb blast or because of that bullet which some of her workers have mentioned.
HARRIS: And, Mohsin, I know you're being sort of rushed away from the scene but I'm curious as to whether or not you have learned whether or not there will be some kind of official statement from doctors at that hospital? It seems to me that that would be very beneficial at clearing up some open-ended questions here.
NAQVI: There was a very, very short statement, very brief statement in which they just confirmed that she has died. That's about it. That is the only thing he mentioned and that there were hundreds of people there and they started crying, they started chanting slogans, and police took him to the other room because mob was getting more and more angry.
HARRIS: Mohsin, one other point here and then we will move on because I know you have some more reporting that you need to do on this. We also have reports that there were, at least, 14 other people killed during the suicide attack at the rally. Can you confirm that? NAQVI: Yes, there were more than 14 people killed in this suicide attack a few hours back.
HARRIS: OK. Mohsin Naqvi with us, CNN producer, on the scene at Rawalpindi and actually at the hospital where the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto passed away.
COLLINS: I just want to give you a little bit of background information now here on what we know at this point. Obviously, this is breaking news story and information is still pouring in at this time. But what we do know so far is a suicide bombing has killed at least 14 people as you just heard here. Not exactly positive of how many people have been killed in all of this.
Supporters of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who you see there getting into that white van, we believe this is some of the very last video taken of her. Our understanding is that once she was inside that jeep or that van type of vehicle, she was shot after getting, you know, safely inside. Again, this information just coming into us as we continue here.
But, perhaps, someone who can help us a little bit more is someone we've had on many other times on the program talking about the former prime minister, Arnaud de Borchgrave. He is a personal friend of Benazir Bhutto and has been in contact with her many times.
First of all, we offer our condolences to you, Arnaud. And, I want to talk to you a little bit about what you may know may have happened to your friend -- from your contacts in Pakistan.
ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE, PERSONAL FRIEND OF BENAZIR BHUTTO: Well, at least half the country is against her. We keep forgetting that Pakistan is a very extreme society. She had pledged to do something about the growing influence of Al-Qaeda and Taliban in the federally administered tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. If you look at the recent polls in Pakistan, about 48 percent of the country approves of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban.
President Bush himself gets the low teens in terms of approval ratings and President Musharraf gets single digits. So, it's a very violent society. Witness the fact that Benazir Bhutto's father, Ali Bhutto, was hanged, two of her brothers were assassinated. There have been nine failed attempts on President Musharraf's life. The country has been under military rule for half its life span of 60 years.
And, earlier this year, you had an important mosque in downtown Islamabad occupied by a pro-Taliban and pro-Al- Qaeda elements. They even had Cobra gunships hovering over this mosque and it took them several months to finally launch an assault to get the extremists out of mosque and the downtown area of the nation's capitol. That gives you some idea how extreme everything seems to be in Pakistan.
COLLINS: Understood and, yes, I think it's very important to point out what a fractured country this is. I do wonder, though, personally, what your reaction was when you learned of this news of your friend.
DE BORCHGRAVE: She's a dear friend and, frankly, I wasn't surprised. You may recall just a few weeks ago, when she returned from eight years in exile, she was almost killed in Karachi.
COLLINS: Yes.
DE BORCHGRAVE: This was a huge explosion that killed 140 people and injured 350 and she came within inches of being killed herself. We've discussed this quite openly when we've seen her at home in Washington. She was fully prepared for that kind of an end. She knew she was running a terrible risk but she thought it was worth it to try to restore democracy in Pakistan.
COLLINS: Was that the most important thing to her? Because, we have seen so many different instances where she has been so close down with the people, essentially in very vulnerable positions, although we always see her surrounded by security guards and so forth -- right there with the people. And, I know that that was something that she wanted to do and that was connect with the Pakistani people.
DE BORCHGRAVE: She had connected in a big way. I think she was well on her way to becoming prime minister following the January elections -- I think, a shoo-in as prime minister. It would have been a very uneasy relationship with President Musharraf who has just taken off his uniform and will be president and they had been rivals for a long time so I had trouble understanding how that would work in practice, how the army would respond to her, how security services would respond to her. It was a big, big question in my mind and I think in hers, too.
COLLINS: What will happen next for the people of Pakistan?
DE BORCHGRAVE: Well, obviously, there is going to be a period of mourning now. And, I can't see the military giving up power as quickly as they were expected to in the next few days after the elections. This will be an argument for keeping -- perhaps, even declaring -- martial law until things sort themselves out. It's almost impossible to predict.
I've been in and out of Pakistan since 1965. My mother was born in Rawalpindi. She was the daughter of a British general during the raj. So, I've kept in very close touch with that country and I'm about to get back on the phone to talk to my friends there as soon as I'm finished with you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow, we certainly appreciate your taking time out to speak with us. Arnaud de Borchgrave, a close friend of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. We appreciate your time and, again, offer our condolences. Thanks so much for being with us.
HARRIS: We will show you some new video just in, exclusively to CNN right now from GEO TV in Pakistan. My understanding is you're looking at pictures from the moments immediately following the suicide bomb attack and you can see some of the absolute distressed chaos on the streets here. You're watching an amazing set of events as they have transpired in Pakistan today.
We want to get the perspective of the Pentagon right now. Barbara Starr is there at her post and she joins me now. Barbara, as we look at these pictures, it just reminds us again this is the latest incidence of more instability in a country that no one would ever describe as stable.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. You know, it's a holiday week here in Washington but, within the last several minutes, it's a safe bet that senior officials at the Pentagon and across the administration now really paying attention to this issue as it continues to unfold. As our viewers look at these rallies and listen to the threats that Mrs. Bhutto faced ever since she returned to Pakistan, of course, the obvious question many of us might ask, "Why did she take a risk of appearing in public?"
I spoke a few minutes ago privately with a senior U. S. military official who is very familiar with the situation and he points out Mrs. Bhutto absolutely wanted to be in public. Since she returned to the country, she felt very strongly she wanted to connect with the people of Pakistan. She wanted to make personal appearances and be very open as much as possible to people on the street, knowing that she faced this very serious ...
HARRIS: Can I say something to you very quickly here? You, in covering the military, have been on some of the trips with generals around the world in some of these hot spots -- I think of Afghanistan, I think of Africa -- in some of your trips recently. And, you've traveled with what the enemy would consider some high-valued targets in generals and the like. And the security measures, as you can attest to, are absolutely extraordinary.
Everyone knows that Benazir Bhutto is a high-value target for extremists in Pakistan. One wonders what kind of security measures were, in fact, put in place for her.
STARR: Tony, this is going to be, obviously, the critical question over the next hours and days. How exactly did this happen?
HARRIS: How did it happen?
STARR: Let's be very clear. In Pakistan, security services are, number one, paramount. They control when they want to and where they want to. Are the security services infiltrated by extremists? You bet. At the highest levels of the Bush Administration, there is a very clear view that Pakistani security services are infiltrated, that they do have split loyalties to the government and to Al-Qaeda and Al- Qaeda extremists.
But what happened here? Was it a suicide bomber that got through? Was there a gunman that also got through?
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
STARR: Because, I think, anyone would tell you -- involved in security work in Iraq, in Pakistan, in Afghanistan -- God forbid -- even here in the United States, no matter what, a determined attacker can get through, find a vulnerability and, basically, get through any security measures. So, are we dealing with a suicide bomber, a gunman, or some sort of basic infiltration, if you will?
HARRIS: Or both? Or both?
STARR: Or all of it together?
HARRIS: Yes.
STARR: On the streets of Pakistan, Tony, there are many conflicted loyalties: there is the government, there is the security services, there is Mrs. Bhutto's loyalists, there are loyalists to other parties. We have seen suicide attacks even last week against a mosque in Pakistan, targeted to a former minister who was directing operations against Al-Qaeda. As your previous guest said, when Mrs. Bhutto returned several weeks ago, there was a major attack against her in Karachi. So, you know, difficult as it is to say, this is life on the streets of Pakistan.
HARRIS: Yes.
STARR: What should be said is it's the Pakistani people who are suffering so greatly right now, be killed and wounded.
HARRIS: Excellent point, Barbara.
STARR: This is leading to a good deal of instability on the streets and, Tony, it is that instability that worries the United States. When there is instability, when there is a security vacuum, that is when Al-Qaeda moves in. That is a good deal of the Bush Administration's concern right now.
HARRIS: And, there are a lot of people who will take a look from afar at the events of today and say, You know what? This is a scene that would indicate a security vacuum. Let's leave it there for now, Barbara. Please stay with us throughout the day. I know you have got some reporting to do on this. Whenever you get anything new to add to this story, please let us know.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks.
COLLINS: We want to bring in our CNN International Correspondent Nic Robertson. Now, he's joining us from France today to give a bit more information about, sort of, the scope of what all of this means as we continue to look at this, the incredible video coming in from GEO TV shortly after this attack that left, at least, 14 people dead and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, assassinated.
Nic, if you can hear me all right, what are we going to see here in the coming days? Are we going to see military rule once again enacted in Pakistan?
VOICE OF NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a possibility that could happen. One of the other possibilities is there could be street demonstrations, although given the fact that people will be concerned that it was a political rally out on the street that incurred this attack and having incurred the previous attack on Benazir Bhutto, then, perhaps, that will give people caution.
It's very difficult to predict what will happen. Certainly, passions will be high and, certainly, the military will be looking to protect their own interests, their own power at this time, and they may see fit to declare a state of emergency, military rule, so that -- perhaps, holding off the elections that were scheduled for just over a week from now.
But, perhaps, one of the greatest significance of Benazir Bhutto's death is the impact it's going to have on U. S. policy in Pakistan. State Department officials have been working very closely with Benazir Bhutto over the past several months to encourage her to make a deal, to make compromises with President Musharraf for her to go back to Pakistan from her exile to go back and live there and work for the democratic process in Pakistan.
They encouraged her to go back immediately after the declaration of martial law had briefly been out of the country visiting relatives and according to her officials, her state department contact urged her to go back, quickly back, at that stage.
This is going to put U.S. policy in Pakistan in a very difficult position. Given as well, the surprise and shock that general -- President Musharraf's declaration several weeks ago of declaring martial law had really shocked his interlockages in the U. S. and that Benazir Bhutto was part of a U. S. effort really to bring democracy to Pakistan.
Now that she is dead, having seen President Musharraf show his political hand in a way that was quite unexpected and unpredicted, this is going to leave some very, very difficult -- decisions ahead about how to proceed with Pakistan.
The other main political contender, Nawaz Sharif is not, perhaps, as favorably looked upon as Benazir Bhutto was. I think, in the coming days, there is going to be a great deal of concern within the country and from the United States and other countries around the world that there -- this could presage a period of instability and, perhaps, the most likely, as you say, is the military could declare martial law to get them through that process.
But perhaps more significantly for them, it will keep them and their political leadership of the country in hand for sometime to come, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, understood. You know, it's interesting, too, you bring up what this all means. Not only in the eyes of Pervez Musharraf, but also the way that he is seen in his country by the people of Pakistan. There is already a report that we have heard coming in about some violence directed toward him that took place outside of the hospital where Benazir Bhutto was taken. Does that surprise you at all? ROBERTSON: No, it doesn't surprise me. Certainly, there is going to be a section of the population, particularly among her supporters, that are going to look for somebody to blame. They could blame Islamists, radical groups, they could blame President Musharraf, they could blame the army, they could blame the nexus between the security services and those Islamist groups, but certainly some people will pin blame for all the situation, rightly or wrongly, on President Musharraf. That, I think, will be a recurring theme.
But, again, the caution that might keep people off the streets from bigger demonstrations is that they will know that potentially this was -- that this particular attack was generated by some people very skilled in assassination, who are very skilled in creating trouble on the street and they will be afraid -- frankly, about putting themselves in that kind of danger and also be a warning shot across the bough of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on how he proceeds at the moment.
He, perhaps, has a bigger, more populist, following, more likely to come out on the streets. What will he do? He will likely urge his followers caution in the light of, perhaps, what we will see from the politician in the coming days but there will be, absolutely be, anger and some of it will definitely be focused at President Musharraf -- that is undoubted at this moment.
COLLINS: Yes, we should probably mention, too, just in the context of all of this the attack -- we're looking at the video of now -- on Benazir Bhutto, in particular, came just a few hours after -- four supporters of the other former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who you mentioned, Nic, four supporters died when other members of a political party opened fire on them as well at a different rally near the Islamabad airport. Certainly, an awful lot of activity and a lot of violence going on today in Pakistan.
Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson coming to us this morning from France. Nic, thank you.
HARRIS: And, once again, let's get you caught up on the breaking news this morning out of Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. She died of wounds suffered after an attack at her campaign rally in Rawalpindi. A suicide bomber detonated at an entrance to the compound where the rally was being held. She was just leaving.
Pakistan's main TV networks report she died of bullet wounds after a speech to thousands of supporters. At least 14 other people are confirmed dead in the bombing. Bhutto was a leading opposition voice against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in September.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviewed the former prime minister in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Benazir Bhutto, at that time, talked about how dangerous it was to go back to Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You're a relatively young woman. How scared are you, though? Because as you know, Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists, they've attacked you in the past and they clearly would like to go after you now.
BENAZIR BHUTTO, FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: Yes, of course, they would like to go against me. There's a lot of threat because other military dictatorship and arching situations have developed with terrorists and Osama have exploited. They don't want democracy. They don't want me back.
BLITZER: They don't want a woman to be the prime minister of Pakistan, either.
BHUTTO: And, they don't believe in women governing nations so they will try to plot against me, but these are risks that must be taken. I'm prepared to take them.
BLITZER: Your family has a history, unfortunately, a tragic history of assassination.
BHUTTO: I know the past has been tragic, but I'm an optimist by nature. I put my faith in the people of Pakistan. I put my faith in God. I feel that what I am doing is for a good cause, for a right cause to save Pakistan from extremists and militants and to build regional security. I know the dangers out there but I'm prepared to take those risks.
BLITZER: Your father was killed at a political assassination.
BHUTTO: My father was killed. It was a very terrible moment in my life, But I also learned from him that one has to stand up for the principles they believe in. And, I'm standing up for the principle of democracy. I'm standing up for moderation. And, I'm standing up for hope for all the people in Pakistan who, today, are poor and miserable and really quite desperate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And now...
COLLINS: Boy!
HARRIS: I'm sorry.
COLLINS: That's OK. It's just unbelievable to watch that video and to watch former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto speak of her convictions certainly on a day like this.
We want to take a moment to get to State Department Zain Verjee now with more on this. Zain, I'm sure you heard the interview with Wolf Blitzer there where she talked about being fully aware of the risks that would be in front of her and would surround her at every move she made, going back to Pakistan. She knew that extremists would plot against her. Yet, she really felt that it was very much worth it in order to save Pakistan from extremists.
VOICE OF ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. We interviewed her when we were in Pakistan and she was absolutely determined to be there. She said, "I know that there are risks to my life, there are multiple threats but I need to be here." She said that Pakistan and democracy in Pakistan was the most important thing to her.
When we went to see her, we went to the party headquarters, the security was massive. We had to go through multiple checks and when we finally met her, she was very relaxed, seemed very confident, and seemed to be very happy to be there. She knew she was a target.
This blow is going to be a major blow and is going to stun the political process in Pakistan. She is someone that was viewed as a real popular leader and it's going to leave a serious leadership vacuum in Pakistan. More importantly, there is going to be a big question mark as to the elections in Pakistan because, without Benazir Bhutto, they are going to be entirely meaningless.
Great fears of instability now in Pakistan for the United States. This will be a major blow because they are the ones that paved the way for Benazir Bhutto to get back to Pakistan in order to push ahead with free and fair and stable elections. That is something the U. S. has wanted to see. Instability in the country, for the United States, is the worst thing that could possibly happen for the number one reason: the U. S.'s priority is to fight the war on terror and, for that, they need a stable Pakistan and Benazir Bhutto, in the interview that we did with her, knew that.
And continued to foster links with the United States, continued to, at the time, try and broker some kind of power-sharing deal with Musharraf but her own supporters were greatly against that so she was tentative about that and, at the end of the day, realized it was politically untenable for her to make any kind of deal with Musharraf because he was so loathed in the country. Benazir Bhutto was aware of the risks -- Heidi?
COLLINS: I wonder, Zain, when you talk about, again, Musharraf and this major blow, obviously, to the political process, that the whole world was actually watching for this elections on January 8th and what it will mean now. Is there any way that in this very, very delicate time, that Musharraf might be a bit more pliable to those compromises that the United States, in particular, is looking for?
VERJEE: It's really hard to predict that right now. Musharraf is hugely unpopular in Pakistan. They view him as being too close to the United States, trying to fight the war on terror and in a border region with Afghanistan that they say has really killed more Pakistanis -- ordinary civilians than terrorists. There is a huge amount of anti-Musharraf sentiment in the country as well as anti-U. S. sentiment.
The only other political leader of account left standing is Nawaz Sharif and no way is he going to make a deal with General Musharraf. The key right now is wait to see what the military does. The military in Pakistan is the strongest, the most powerful institution in the country -- it keeps Pakistan together. Whether they take steps again toward martial law and become much more repressive -- we would then have to give them a little time and see what happens. This is a difficult and a dangerous time for Pakistan and a big blow to the U. S.
COLLINS: Yes. Zain, I'm not sure if you're aware but we do have some of that interview you just spoke of that you were able to conduct with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. We want to go ahead and play some of that for you and get your reaction in just a moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BHUTTO: I have three small children, very young children. And, I'm a mother. I wouldn't be taking this risk to be prime minister a third time. What is the difference whether you've been in twice or thrice? I'm taking the risk with my life and I'm taking the risk and facing the dangers in my country because I believe that all the children of Pakistan are dear to me as my own children. I want to see the children of Pakistan bequeathed a better future than the children of my generation was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Zain Verjee is on the line with us now, who conducted that interview. Zain, your reaction to that when you hear it now on this very day?
VERJEE: The only time Benazir Bhutto seemed a little emotional and moved in the interview is when she talked about her family and her daughters and how worried they were about her life. She went back to reassure them after the first assassination attempt, back to Dubai, which is where they are, to say, you know, "I'm OK, but I need to go back to Pakistan."
One has to admire her for her guts, being a woman, having secular beliefs the way that she did in Pakistan, and openly saying we need to fight the war on terror, and criticizing Al-Qaeda to the extent where they said, well, we're going to get you. And, still, in the face of all of that, standing up and pushing ahead.
I had a sense of admiration for her. But Benazir Bhutto wasn't just popular because she was Benazir Bhutto. She was also popular because of her last name. Bhutto Family in Pakistan is revered almost and her popularity really came from her name.
She was criticized and convicted of corruption when she was prime minister, but it was funny. We talked to a lot of people in Pakistan and they said, yes, OK, she is corrupt but she is a lot better than Musharraf and, yes, OK, she is corrupt, but, you know, we believe in her and we really believe that she can deal with the bread and butter issues in Pakistan, that we care about that General Musharraf doesn't seem to.
COLLINS: CNN State Department correspondent Zain Verjee for us this morning, as we continue to look at those pictures. Again, this is the video that we believe was the last taken of Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto just moments, possibly moments, before she was shot inside that White vehicle you see pulling away there. Zain Verjee, thanks so much.
HARRIS: Let's give you a bit of a reset on the breaking news right now. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. She died of wounds suffered after an attack at her campaign rally in Rawalpindi. A suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to a compound where the rally was being held. She was just leaving. Bhutto was a leading opposition voice against Pakistani President Musharraf.
More now, on Benazir Bhutto, her life, mirrored the turbulent and often violent politics of her country. CNN's Hugh Riminton traces her rise to power.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Benazir Bhutto lived a life defined by politics, allegations and blood and murder. Born in 1953 to one of Pakistan's leading political families, Bhutto attended Oxford and Harvard Universities. Her father was a charismatic prime minister in the 1970s, but he was ceased in a military coup and later executed. She herself was imprisoned at that time for five years, some of it in solitary confinement, before finding sanctuary in London.
Benazir Bhutto had first resisted the political life, but returned to her homeland in 1986 to adoring crowds. In 1988, she became the Muslim World's first democratically elected female prime minister. She was just 35. Less than two years later though, she was ousted. A rule opposed by Islamic traditionalist and much of the military.
In 1993, she won election again, but accusations of poor governance and increasing corruption scandals. Most notoriously involving the alleged transfer of money to Swiss Bank Accounts. So, her set again. And again, she went into exile.
Her return in October 2007, to take part in a reported power- sharing deal with the strong man President Pervez Musharraf was emblematic of Bhutto's life. Weeping openly as she touched again Pakistan's soil, the woman who was the flag bearer for democracy and modernity in Pakistan began a slow procession through hundreds of thousands of supporters in her power base of Karachi.
But there had been numerous threats against her life. And before the day was out, a suicide bomber blew himself up near her vehicle, killing well over a hundred people. Benazir Bhutto escaped that time uninjured. But her enemies remained many. Her days, numbered.
Hugh Riminton, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Once again, we want to remind you of the news we are covering this morning. Big news that it is. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has been assassinated. It happened right after a rally. Several of her supporters, thousands, in fact, were gathered. We understand, at least 14 of them were also killed. We understand that she may have died from bullet wounds. There was also an explosion of a suicide bomber trying to enter the area where this rally was taking place.
We continue to follow this story for you. Very, very tumultuous time in Pakistan, in Rawalpindi in particular. We're going to take a quick break for now. We'll be back here on CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Once again, if you're just joining us, we want to bring the very latest on the breaking news we're following here in the CNN NEWSROOM. The assassination of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She died of wounds suffered after attack at her campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Let's get reaction from the White House now. Kathleen Koch is standing by with that for us.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
No direct reaction yet from the White House to this attack. Though, we did this get from Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel. Obviously, he says the White House has been monitoring the situation from the start. The president was informed about it during his regular morning briefing which occurred at 7:30 a.m. central time, so 8:30 eastern time.
So, the president hearing the news roughly just over an hour ago. But certainly, the situation at the White House is very, very carefully monitoring with Pakistan, being one of the United States' primary allies, key allies in the region in the war on terror -- Tony?
HARRIS: And, you know, I'm just curious. We have not heard yet, and I can recall, John King, talking about this, earlier this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING," and that the White House was -- I think, you've just reiterated that, being very cautious right now. Safe to assume that there is still some behind the scenes work going on right now for final confirmation of all the details connected to the story?
KOCH: Certainly, Tony. And that's why the White House is being so very, very careful about making any comment as they have been throughout. Even one that state of emergency was declared by President Pervez Musharraf for some six weeks. Even at that point, this White House was treading a very, very fine line, not wanting to destabilize the government of Musharraf.
Almost never referring to Benazir Bhutto even by name. Only saying, that they were wanting to strengthen the influence of moderates in the country, talking to all government opposition parties, but even then, just very, very cautious. And I think, we'll continue to see that caution.
HARRIS: At the White House, CNN's Kathleen Koch for us. Kathleen, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: Working to try to bring you the most reaction from around the world to the news of the assassination of Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. In order to do that, I want to bring in a former adviser to her, Husain Haqqani, is on the line now with us.
Mr. Haqqani, tell us your reaction to this news.
HUSAIN HAQQANI, FORMER BHUTTO ADVISER: For me, it's a personal tragedy as it is for millions of Pakistanis, who saw Benazir Bhutto as the hope for Democracy in the Pakistan. Those of us who knew her personally, knew her as a warm human being, a human being with a vision who has been consistently demonized by a establishment in Pakistan that wants dictatorship and has continued to enforce dictatorship on Pakistan.
We knew her, we loved her and it is a personal tragedy. It has serious implications to Pakistan's future. I think that the military intelligence establishment that runs Pakistan has a lot of questions to answer about her assassination.
COLLINS: What in particular are you referring to?
HAQQANI: The fact that after the attack on her life on October 18th, there were certain arrangements that were required and requested from the government, but the government did not make any of those arrangements. In fact, the government's attitude was dismissive. Government officials tried to blame the victim. They said Miss Bhutto shouldn't hold rallies. They've forbidden her from reaching the people through television and the media. They've forbidden her from trying to hold rallies. And they've pretend that security is not issue.
They could have provided better security. They did not. (INAUDIBLE) that was provided consistently malfunction and Miss Bhutto's request to the Interior Ministry to allow professional security consultants to ensure her security, independent security consultant was not given a favorable response.
COLLINS: So, are you saying that she was trying to make the attempt, while holding rallies like this and being seen in public and surrounded, so closely as we oftentimes have seen her by the people of Pakistan. That she was trying to basically hire her own security and Musharraf Government would not allow that?
HAQQANI: She could have had better security arrangements with international consultants who know how to make people secure under such arrangements. Let us be honest. This was not just a suicide bombing that killed her. It was a shot to her neck which basically means that somebody penetrated in a circle of pardon of security to get so close. How could that happen except by negligence on the part of the security people? And Rawalpindi is the heart of Pakistan security establishment.
That is a (INAUDIBLE) city. It has more intelligence officials and spooks, all over the town, than in any other city of Pakistan. But after the October 18th bombing on Miss Bhutto, in which her life was saved because the security at that time was provided by party workers and several dozens of party workers were killed as a result. She was secure at that time, by the fact, that the people, who surrounded her, were not official security, but her own party security. The official security clearly failed in Rawalpindi today.
COLLINS: Yes, clearly. That is certainly the case. When was the last time that you spoke with Benazir Bhutto?
HAQQANI: I spoke to her two days ago on the telephone. She was very upbeat. She was very confident of winning the election. She could feel, she was a very good politician. She had a feel for the people. I have worked with her in previous campaigns in the 1993 campaign. She had a feel for where we will win and where she will not win. She had that feeling right now, that on the campaign trail, she was sensing success and victory. She knew that the people of Pakistan were being supportive of her.
And at the same time, she was concerned about her security. As she was concerned about the arrangements that government has made to rig the elections. Those are her immediate concerns.
COLLINS: Well, we certainly appreciate your time and, obviously, offer our condolences to you as well. Husain Haqqani, former adviser to Benazir Bhutto. Thank you again.
HARRIS: And Heidi, right now, let's go to Sammy Abraham. He is with GEO-TV in Pakistan. And Sammy, if you would -- he has a sound bite, giving us reaction to this news in Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMMY ABRAHAM, GEO-TV REPORTER: Yes, well, so far, we have not seen any reaction coming out of religious political parties. Even from the liberal religious political parties and particularly those who are operating in the Fattah area, in the NWFP, and province of Balujistan. But the liberal political parties there, they have condemned that.
But as you mention, yes, those militants, they believed in that and Benazir Bhutto was under threat. She was receiving constant threats and she was asking government to provide the security and that's what she was pointing out all the time. That President Musharraf is putting all the resources to curb the movement of the liberal and nothing has been done to crack down on the militants.
And so this rally was announced earlier and the BDP (ph) had requested full force security, but it was not provided and first gunshots were fired and then suicidal attack occurred and she lost her life. So this is, as I said, the militants, they will be getting strength because they have been successful in eliminating one of the most liberal Democratic leader in Pakistan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this strengthen the political hand of Pervez Musharraf in all of this? Because many Pakistanis right now, while a lot of people look at this, yes, they are angry and yes, they may be taking to the streets, there are many more Pakistanis that want to see stability. They do not want to see chaos, come out of this event.
ABRAHAM: Yes, but this event will create chaos because President Musharraf has no standing among the masses. His political party which was (INAUDIBLE) during the last couple of week, but they have not been able to put up any impressive show. They have not been able to manage any demonstration, manage any election gathering and people's party. It was a real Liberal Democratic Party and Benazir Bhutto had shown, from time to time, willingness to work with President Musharraf.
I believe death of Benazir Bhutto has weakened the moderate, the liberals, the Democrats in Pakistan. On the other hand, yes, it might strengthen President Musharraf. It may give him some powers. It may give him some reason again to speak and say that the situation is not bad and, again, go for the elections delay and he can again enforce emergency, and again, come out with some strict rules and, yes, the moderate weakened and perhaps President Musharraf is strengthened and he can do to prolong his personal grip on the power. I mean, now he has chances and reasons to take some action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Sammy, people in the United States, people in Europe, people around the world, looked on and saw this prime minister, Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as someone that really represented a new Pakistan. A more friendly Pakistan to the west certainly. That, you know, is understandable because she was a woman, because she cut a beautiful striking figure in politics.
She was eloquent. In the way that she expressed herself and the hopes and dreams of her country and so much of it was seen in the west as a message that they could understand. But I'm wondering, how was she really seen among the Pakistani people? There were many that didn't like her.
ABRAHAM: Yes, but the Pakistanis, the history of Pakistan. Pakistan Peoples Party, even during the last elections in 2002 was the party which got maximum voice in election. And she was very popular. Thought, some people never liked it, but Pakistani people traditionally in the elections, they have always voted for the liberals, for the Democrats, and for those who love Democracy. And Benazir Bhutto was leading a party which had roots in all of the four provinces of Pakistan.
And she was the one leader who, at this time, in the country, was the front line state in war against terror. She was giving hope. That's why despite security threats, she was making sure that she gives all of the personal appearances. She wanted to connect with the people and she was trying to tell the people to come out on the street and show the willingness and the courage against these deadly bombs. And majority of the people like.
And I have been gathering information, talking to the people in Pakistan, at this moment, in almost every city of Pakistan, the protest demonstration is going on. People are out and the reaction will be devastating and it really has weakened the moderates and the Democratic forces in Pakistan. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will it help her party. Will her party go on into these parliamentary elections or demand a postponement?
ABRAHAM: Well, that is a very serious question in Pakistan Peoples Party. Because people's party, people have lot of affection for the Bhutto's and she was the last member of the family who was alive and adult who (INAUDIBLE). But now, from the Bhutto's, we don't have any figure who could lead the party.
These serious questions for Pakistan Peoples Party, now her husband is going back, but definitely he does not enjoy that much demand and he is not liked by party workers, the way they showed affection for the Bhutto's. How they handle it? One have to wait and see, but it is a very serious question, now for the Pakistan Peoples Party, that who will lead the party.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. Getting a couple of tidbits of additional information we want to share with you. We talked to Kathleen Koch just a couple of moments ago, to gain some reaction from the White House. We are just getting word that the president from Crawford, Texas, has condemned the attack today in Rawalpindi on the Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
And also, getting some indications that the President Musharraf has ordered an emergency cabinet meeting right now. That going on in Pakistan. We want to get the view from Lahore. Another one of the major cities in Pakistan. Think of a teaming metropolis in Pakistan. You think of Lahore. You think of certainly, the capital Islamabad. You think of Karachi.
Todd Baer is a journalist from Lahore. Todd, thanks for joining us and if you would, give us your reaction, your thoughts today, on this news out of Rawalpindi.
TODD BAER, JOURNALIST IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN: Well, Tony, you know, I spent the better part of six or seven months in Pakistan here, mainly in the port city of Karachi. And now, I'm in up in the eastern city of Lahore. You know, the people I've talked to are shocked and saddened over this news about Benazir Bhutto. But you could almost see this coming, ever since she returned from her self-imposed exile from Dubai, back in October, where there was that first attempt on her life with that awful bombing there.
But still, people are shocked and saddened. You know, it has been a very, very tense time in recent weeks here in Pakistan. Leading up to this now, delayed election. Now, after the emergency rule and now, you know, there are a lot of big questions about where the country goes.
HARRIS: Hey, Todd, let me stop you for just a moment there. And have you, if you would, just sort of explore this concept. You mentioned that, many folks could sense something like this coming. What does that mean? And explain that in the context of the political realities there in Pakistan. BAER: Well, look, I mean, Benazir Bhutto was coming back to this country after a long time in exile and she was taking on a military general. Not only a military general, but the president of the country. He was wearing the uniform at the time.
And you know, that's a tough opponent to take on. And you know, look, her security had been in question for an awful long time. She had been complaining about it, to the government, to the Musharraf Government saying, look, you're not doing enough to protect me and nothing had been done about that.
HARRIS: Well, let me stop you there, another second. I want to share something with you and I'll have you go on. Todd, this is a posting from the former prime minister on cnn.com just a while -- just a few short weeks after she returned to Pakistan. And in this posting, she writes, I began to feel the net was being tightened around me, when police security outside my home in Karachi was reduced. Even as I was told that other assassination plots were in the offing. And Todd, that plays into what you were just saying just a moment ago.
BAER: Well, yes. I mean, when she had returned back after ten years in exile into Karachi, you know, she had talked about security and she was assured everything would be fine and then, of course, the security failed on that day and mid to late October there in Karachi, and she had been talking about it for an awful long time and not getting any answers. You have to remember, she had begged for an investigation into that bombing there in Karachi and did not get any answers there.
So, you had to know. I mean, she is not only her, she was feeling it as well. But just as somebody on the ground here in Pakistan and in talking to people and journalists alike, you had to know that, you know, she was going to be, you know, it was a matter of...
HARRIS: What does this say about her? And what it is she was attempting to do in that country against what. Boy, as you paint this picture, very, very difficult odds.
BAER: Well, she was determined. That's what it says about her. She was determined to come in here and to get the military and the intelligence agents, agencies out of politics and she was determined, as she said, to take back this country from the grips of that kind of power.
HARRIS: And Todd, if I could. I apologize. I have really just sort of run along in this segment and I got to get us all to a quick break here. But boy, if we can talk to you in the next hour, that would be great. Todd Baer, a journalist in Lahore. Let's take a break. And we'll come back and update breaking news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: That breaking news coming to us today from Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. She died of wounds suffered after an attack at her campaign rally in Rawalpindi. A suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to a compound where that rally was being held. She was just leaving. This is some of the video now that you were looking at, of the scene and very shortly after the events took place.
Pakistan's main TV networks report she died of bullet wounds after a speech to thousands of her supporters. At least, 14 other people are confirmed dead in the bombing. Bhutto was a leading opposition voice against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Benazir Bhutto, her life mirrored the turbulent and often violent politics of her country. CNN's Hugh Riminton traces her rise to power.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIMINTON: Benazir Bhutto lived a life defined by politics, allegations and blood and murder. Born in 1953 to one of Pakistan's leading political families, Bhutto attended Oxford and Harvard Universities. Her father was a charismatic prime minister in the 1970s, but he was ceased in a military coup and later executed. She herself was imprisoned at that time for five years, some of it in solitary confinement, before finding sanctuary in London.
Benazir Bhutto had first resisted the political life, but returned to her homeland in 1986 to adoring crowds. In 1988, she became the Muslim World's first democratically elected female prime minister. She was just 35. Less than two years later though, she was ousted. A rule opposed by Islamic traditionalist and much of the military.
In 1993, she won election again, but accusations of poor governance and increasing corruption scandals. Most notoriously involving the alleged transfer of money to Swiss Bank Accounts. So, her set again. And again, she went into exile.
Her return in October 2007, to take part in a reported power- sharing deal with the strong man President Pervez Musharraf was emblematic of Bhutto's life. Weeping openly as she touched again Pakistan's soil, the woman who was the flag bearer for democracy and modernity in Pakistan began a slow procession through hundreds of thousands of supporters in her power base of Karachi.
But there had been numerous threats against her life. And before the day was out, a suicide bomber blew himself up near her vehicle, killing well over a hundred people. Benazir Bhutto escaped that time uninjured. But her enemies remained many. Her days, numbered.
Hugh Riminton, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: We continue to get reaction from around the world now to the assassination of Pakistani, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. In an effort to do that, we want to head to Crawford, Texas now. That is where the president is. Ed Henry is standing by, and Ed, I understand that, we will be getting a statement from the president. Apparently, we will be able to hear it, but it is an audio feed only.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Apparently, it will be about 10:00 a.m. eastern time as the information just coming in to CNN. That maybe, because, its happening so quickly that the White House communications folks maybe putting that out by audio, that's happened before when we've been in Crawford or elsewhere around the world.
Obviously, this information taking the White House, the traveling White House and certainly, a shock to them and taking them, by surprise, just as the rest of the world, surprise by this assassination. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel who is traveling with the president, down here in Crawford, also putting out a couple of statements in the last half hour or so condemning the acts of violence.
But also, letting us know that the president was informed about the situation in Pakistan. About 8:30 Eastern time, he was told about it and this morning, as regular briefing with the national security council officials, that's about 7:30 Central time.
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