Archived coverage: Political unrest in Pakistan

Bhutto killed by blast, says Scotland Yard

In findings similar to those of the Pakistani government, Scotland Yard investigators said yesterday that Benazir Bhutto was killed by a head injury resulting from the force of a suicide blast, not by shots fired toward her seconds earlier.

Government role in assassination denied

President Pervez Musharraf vehemently denied yesterday that Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies were behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination and implied that she was partly at fault.

Bhutto legacy passed to son

Acting in accordance with her last wishes, Benazir Bhutto's party named her 19-year-old son as its ceremonial leader and her husband as the executor of its day-to-day affairs as violence that had flared in Pakistan after her assassination subsided yesterday.

Pakistan officials vow to restore order

President Pervez Musharraf expressed determination yesterday to restore law and order after the country was racked by a third day of riots and looting that have killed nearly 50 people since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistan lays blame on Taliban

As slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest in her ancestral village yesterday, the government of President Pervez Musharraf laid the blame for her assassination on a Taliban commander and said other politicians were also under threat.

Grief and fury sweep Pakistan

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic opposition leader who had promised to restore democracy in Pakistan, set off a nationwide wave of grief and fury and raised the specter of violent unrest that could threaten the government of U.S.-backed President Pervez Musharraf.

Analysis

Assassination extinguishes best U.S. hope

For months, the Bush administration's hopes for political stability in Pakistan rested on the rising influence of Benazir Bhutto. Her death yesterday shattered those hopes and threatened to paralyze U.S. efforts that hinged in part on her survival: the fight against terrorism, the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and stability in the turbulent region.

Bhutto's return shattered by bombing

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her return from exile shattered by a suicide attack that killed up to 136 people, blamed militants today for trying to kill her and said she would not "surrender our great nation" to them.

Karachi braces for Bhutto's return

By foot, bus and bicycle, thousands of fervent followers of Benazir Bhutto converged yesterday on Karachi, preparing to welcome the former prime minister home today after eight years in exile.

Despite vote, Pakistan in limbo

Pakistan has entered a period of political limbo, caught between Gen. Pervez Musharraf's presidential election win and a future Supreme Court ruling on whether he was eligible to run.

Musharraf's win prompts an outcry

Lawmakers overwhelmingly endorsed a new five-year presidential term for Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday, according to unofficial results, but the legitimacy of the vote has yet to be decided by the Supreme Court.

Pakistan's voting results to be frozen, court rules

The Pakistani Supreme Court threw a last-minute wrench into President Pervez Musharraf's re-election plans yesterday, ruling that the vote could take place today as scheduled but that results would be frozen until the justices decided on his eligibility to run while serving as army chief.

Musharraf and Bhutto near amnesty deal on eve of vote in Pakistan

Former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto said yesterday that she was close to an agreement with the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on an amnesty deal that she hoped would secure a peaceful transition from military to democratic rule.

Power-sharing deal is likely in Pakistan

The Pakistani government is expected to drop all corruption charges against exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, an indication that a power-sharing deal has been reached that would help embattled President Gen. Pervez Musharraf hold onto power.

U.S. criticism of Musharraf unusual

The United States strongly criticized Pakistan's government yesterday, saying it was "extremely disturbed" by a roundup of opposition leaders ahead of key court rulings on the re-election bid by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.