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.
PHOTO: AFP
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.
A key ally in the US "war on terror," Musharraf has been hailed as instrumental to Pakistan's economic recovery and its crackdown on Islamic militancy.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS