Bhutto arrives at her ancestral home
Sunday, 28 October 2007
GARHI KHUDA BAKSH, (Pakistan) Oct 27 (agencies): Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited her ancestral village Saturday and paid homage at her father's tomb, her first trip outside Pakistan's biggest city since an assassination attempt against her killed 143 people earlier this monthThrongs of supporters ran toward Bhutto's convoy, kicking up clouds of dust, as she arrived in the village of Garhi Khuda Baksh after a 60-mile road trip from the airport in the southern city of Sukkur, where she flew from Karachi.
Hundreds of armed private security guards surrounded the white-domed marble mausoleum in the village and formed a tight circle around the opposition leader, pushing their way through a chaotic fray of supporters and journalists.
After waving to bystanders from her SUV's sunroof with black metal sheets on either side of her, Bhutto stepped down from the vehicle, which was flanked by paramilitary troops in white pickup trucks with machine guns mounted on top. Other security guards clung to the sides of the SUV.
Wearing her trademark white headscarf, she stepped directly inside the mausoleum to pay her respects to her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first popularly elected leader who was overthrown by the military and hanged in 1979. During her 45-minute visit, she said prayers and sprinkled flower petals on his tomb and that of other ancestors there.
She later went to a balcony and waved to about 2,000 supporters carrying the red, green and black flags of her Pakistan People's Party.
Surrounded by guards, she spoke briefly with journalists, saying: "There is danger of attacks on me still, but I am not scared because Allah is the ultimate savior of my life. ... I have such a large number of loyal followers who are ready to risk their lives to protect me, so there is no need to be scared."
She then left for her nearby residence, as supporters chanted "Prime Minister Bhutto."
Bhutto returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18 from an eight-year exile, after talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that could see them team up to fight Islamic extremism. A massive rally to welcome her was shattered by the suicide bombing as she inched through Karachi.
Security was much tighter Saturday, but crowds of supporters were still able to greet Bhutto as she landed at Sukkur airport, and gathered around her vehicle before it sped away.
"It's a long time since I've been here, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to put my feet on my homeland once again, to see the love of my people. This has strengthened me to do what I can to save Pakistan by saving democracy," she told reporters on the airplane.
Ahead of Bhutto's visit to Garhi Khuda Baksh, party supporters sang and danced. Banners depicting Bhutto and her late father covered walls and hung from lamp posts.
Police chief Nisar Ahmed Channa in nearby Larkana city said 400 police were deployed to the area.
Meanwhile: Militants kidnapped and beheaded four security officers in northwest Pakistan after government troops clashed with supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric, a senior official said.
The men were seized while shopping at a bazaar in Matta in the outskirts of Swat by unknown militants, local sources said, and their bodies were later displayed in the village, although this could not be confirmed by officials.
Heavy fighting erupted in the scenic Swat valley in North West Frontier Province Friday between troops and militants loyal to the radical cleric, who has been driving a fierce campaign to introduce pro-Taliban laws.
Militants later kidnapped the security officers and beheaded them in front of villagers near Matta, provincial home secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said.
"I can confirm the four security personnel were beheaded," he said.
They were beheaded with their hands tied behind their backs, the sources said.
The clashes at the hideout of cleric Maulana Fazlullah also left about three rebels and two civilians dead, officials said Friday.
The fighting and gruesome killings came after a blast tore through a security forces vehicle in Swat, killing about 30 people Thursday.
The attack was an apparent reaction to the arrival of more than 2,000 troops in the area earlier this week.
Hundreds of armed private security guards surrounded the white-domed marble mausoleum in the village and formed a tight circle around the opposition leader, pushing their way through a chaotic fray of supporters and journalists.
After waving to bystanders from her SUV's sunroof with black metal sheets on either side of her, Bhutto stepped down from the vehicle, which was flanked by paramilitary troops in white pickup trucks with machine guns mounted on top. Other security guards clung to the sides of the SUV.
Wearing her trademark white headscarf, she stepped directly inside the mausoleum to pay her respects to her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first popularly elected leader who was overthrown by the military and hanged in 1979. During her 45-minute visit, she said prayers and sprinkled flower petals on his tomb and that of other ancestors there.
She later went to a balcony and waved to about 2,000 supporters carrying the red, green and black flags of her Pakistan People's Party.
Surrounded by guards, she spoke briefly with journalists, saying: "There is danger of attacks on me still, but I am not scared because Allah is the ultimate savior of my life. ... I have such a large number of loyal followers who are ready to risk their lives to protect me, so there is no need to be scared."
She then left for her nearby residence, as supporters chanted "Prime Minister Bhutto."
Bhutto returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18 from an eight-year exile, after talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that could see them team up to fight Islamic extremism. A massive rally to welcome her was shattered by the suicide bombing as she inched through Karachi.
Security was much tighter Saturday, but crowds of supporters were still able to greet Bhutto as she landed at Sukkur airport, and gathered around her vehicle before it sped away.
"It's a long time since I've been here, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to put my feet on my homeland once again, to see the love of my people. This has strengthened me to do what I can to save Pakistan by saving democracy," she told reporters on the airplane.
Ahead of Bhutto's visit to Garhi Khuda Baksh, party supporters sang and danced. Banners depicting Bhutto and her late father covered walls and hung from lamp posts.
Police chief Nisar Ahmed Channa in nearby Larkana city said 400 police were deployed to the area.
Meanwhile: Militants kidnapped and beheaded four security officers in northwest Pakistan after government troops clashed with supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric, a senior official said.
The men were seized while shopping at a bazaar in Matta in the outskirts of Swat by unknown militants, local sources said, and their bodies were later displayed in the village, although this could not be confirmed by officials.
Heavy fighting erupted in the scenic Swat valley in North West Frontier Province Friday between troops and militants loyal to the radical cleric, who has been driving a fierce campaign to introduce pro-Taliban laws.
Militants later kidnapped the security officers and beheaded them in front of villagers near Matta, provincial home secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said.
"I can confirm the four security personnel were beheaded," he said.
They were beheaded with their hands tied behind their backs, the sources said.
The clashes at the hideout of cleric Maulana Fazlullah also left about three rebels and two civilians dead, officials said Friday.
The fighting and gruesome killings came after a blast tore through a security forces vehicle in Swat, killing about 30 people Thursday.
The attack was an apparent reaction to the arrival of more than 2,000 troops in the area earlier this week.