A massive suicide bomb ripped through a crowded road near the capital yesterday in a failed attempt to assassinate President General Pervez Musharraf, a senior government official said. The president was unhurt, but at least seven passers-by were killed.
It was the second attack this month targeting the military president, and came just a day after he agreed to step down as army chief by the end of next year.
The blast occurred when a suicide bomber rammed a pickup truck into a police vehicle in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital, Islamabad, at about 1:45pm. Eyewitnesses reported seeing body parts, shattered cars and broken glass along the route.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the suicide attack appeared to be aimed at Musharraf, and that the Pakistani leader was safe.
"The president's motorcade had just passed and about half a minute later the explosion went off," one eyewitness, Nasir Sadiqi, told Pakistan's Geo television.
Abdur Rauf Chaudry, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the dead appeared to all be passers-by. Fourteen other people were injured, including two policemen, Chaudry said.
General Shaukat Sultan, the army spokesman, said officials are investigating.
Police and soldiers quickly cordoned off the area and ambulances rushed to the site. About 15 cars were destroyed in the attack and windows from nearby buildings were shattered.
The blast occurred just 300m from the spot where would-be assassins detonated a huge bomb on Dec. 14 in a failed attempt to assassinate Musharraf. High-tech jamming devices in the president's motorcade apparently delayed the detonation long enough for him to pass by safely.
Islamic militant groups were believed behind that attack, though no major arrests have been made. Government officials have speculated that al-Qaeda might have had a hand in the first attempt, which employed a sophisticated bomb hidden in five places on a bridge.
Security is always tight when Musharraf travels, with roads closed to allow his long motorcade to pass and heavily-armed soldiers surrounding his vehicle. Musharraf lives at the heavily-guarded army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Security measures were even more stringent yesterday as Pakistan's tiny Christian community celebrated Christmas.
The attack came a day after Musharraf agreed to step-down as army chief by the end of next year, ending a political stalemate that had paralyzed parliament and stalled this nation's return to democracy.
Musharraf called his decision "difficult."
"I realize that it's time. I have decided that I will give up my uniform by December 2004 and will step down as Chief of Army Staff," he said on state television.
Speaking in Urdu and wearing military dress, Musharraf added: "These are all historic decisions. Nobody has won or lost because of these decisions. Democracy has won and the victory is Pakistan's."
Musharraf made the decision as part of a deal with the opposition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) -- an alliance of six Islamic opposition parties -- which have promised to abstain in a vote of confidence in the government expected early next year.
The agreement is likely to see the general's term in office extended until 2007, although any weakening of his links to the military could undermine his position.
Although he does not come away from the deal empty-handed, Musharraf's concessions could raise eyebrows in the West.
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