The New Nation - Internet Edition

Agencies

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack.

Bhutto had just addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi when she was shot in the neck by a gunman who then set off a bomb.

At least 16 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.

President Pervez Musharraf condemned the killing and urged people to remain calm. Security forces were placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.

Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had twice been the country's prime minister and had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January.

It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.

Nawaz Sharif, also a former prime minister and a political rival, said her death was a tragedy for "the entire nation".

"It is not a sad day, it is [the] darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country," he said, speaking at the hospital where she was taken.

The United Nations Security Council is to meet for emergency consultations shortly to discuss the situation in Pakistan after the killing.

The attack occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking.

Police confirmed reports Ms Bhutto had been shot in the neck and chest before the gunman blew himself up.

She died at 1816 (1316 GMT), said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of the PPP who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital.

Some supporters at the hospital wept while others broke into anger, throwing stones at cars and breaking windows.

Protesters in Karachi, capital of the PPP's heartland province of Sindh, started fires in the streets and demonstrations were reported in the north-western city of Peshawar and other cities.

Sharif said there had been a "serious lapse in security" by the government.

But an old friend of Bhutto, Salman Tassir, told the BBC World Service he did not think criticism should be directed at the government.

"There have been suicide attacks on Gen Musharraf also," he told Newshour.

"I mean it is extremism and the fanatics who are to blame."

Earlier on Thursday, at least four people were killed ahead of an election rally Mr Sharif had been preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.

Bhutto's death has plunged the PPP into confusion and raises questions about whether January elections will go ahead as planned, the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says.

The killing was condemned by India, the US, the UK and others.

"The subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

US President George W Bush condemned a "cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy".

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "extremist groupst [could] not and must not succeed".

Bhutto returned from self-imposed exile in October after years out of Pakistan where she had faced corruption charges.

Her return was the result of a power-sharing agreement with President Musharraf in which he granted an amnesty that covered the court cases she was facing.

But relations with Musharraf soon broke down.

On the day of her arrival, she had led a motor cavalcade through the city of Karachi.

It was hit by a double suicide attack that left some 130 dead.

Rawalpindi, the nerve centre of Pakistan's military, is seen as one of the country's most secure cities.

Many analysts say attacks like those on Thursday show the creeping "Talebanisation" of Pakistan, the BBC's Ian MacWilliam reports.

Radical Muslims calling for Islamic law, and fiercely opposed to the US, have become increasingly active in Pakistani politics in recent years, our regional editor adds.

Staff Reporter

A mission of Amnesty International led by Irene Khan, Secretary General of the organisation, will arrive Dhaka on January 5 on a six-day visit to Bangladesh to discuss human rights issues with the caretaker government and civil society.

The mission, the first by an Amnesty International secretary general to the country, is coming on the eve of the anniversary of the declaration of the state of emergency.

During the visit, the mission will focus on the rule of law and institutional reform necessary to promote and protect human rights in Bangladesh, a media advisory of Amnesty International received by The New Nation yesterday said.

The delegation will visit Dhaka and Rajshahi and will meet with survivors of human rights violations and members of civil society.

Members of the Amnesty International mission will be meeting with Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein and Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

The organization has also requested meetings with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed, and Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin.

The delegation will also meet with NGOs and other members of civil society, and discuss the current human rights situation in the country.

Irene Khan will hold a press conference to present the findings of her visit on January 10.

The suicide attack that killed Benazir Bhutto cut short an epic life, one bathed in blood and awash with controversy.

Bhutto's father was hanged and a brother was shot to death. She had risen to become the Muslim world's first female prime minister, only to lose office and flee Pakistan for most of a decade in the face of accusations she was corrupt.

And when, finally, she returned in October to marshal the opposition against President Pervez Musharraf, her homecoming parade in Karachi was targeted by a suicide attacker. More than 140 people, died, but the 54-year-old Bhutto escaped injury and threw herself into the campaign.

"We have to modify our campaign to some extent because of the suicide bombings. We will continue to meet the public. We will not be deterred," she said then.

Her father was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, scion of a wealthy landowning family in southern Pakistan and founder of the populist Pakistan People's Party. The elder Bhutto was president and then prime minister of Pakistan before his ouster in a 1977 military coup; two years later, he was executed by the government of Gen. Zia-ul Haq after being convicted of engineering the murder of a political opponent.

A year later, her youngest brother, Shahnawaz, had died under mysterious circumstances in France; the family insisted he was poisoned, but no charges were brought.

The elder Bhutto had sent his daughter to study politics and government at Harvard and then at Oxford, where she was elected to lead the prestigious debating society, the Oxford Union.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan after he father's death, swearing to continue his work. She was detained several times before being exiled to England in 1984. Two years later, she returned again to lead rallies for the restoration of civilian rule.

After Zia's death in a mysterious plane crash in 1988,

Bhutto gave birth to the first of her three children. Beautiful, charismatic and articulate, she led her party to an election victory and became the first woman to lead a modern Muslim nation.

Her first administration was clouded by allegations of corruption and clashes with Pakistan's powerful military; her administration was dismissed after 20 months.

She was re-elected in 1993. But three years later, her brother Murtaza died in a gunbattle with police in Karachi; Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was charged with his murder. The charges eventually were overturned, but Zardari spent eight years in prison on those accusations and others involving corrupt dealings allegedly amounting to millions of dollars.

Benazir accused President Farooq Leghari of involvement in Murtaza's death, and Leghari dismissed her second government amid fresh allegations of misrule. She sought to lead a third government, but lost to archrival Nawaz Sharif in 1996.

She left Pakistan in 1999, just before a court convicted her of corruption and banned her from politics.

The verdict was later quashed, but she stayed away until Musharraf signed an amnesty, halting any corruption charges against her and others.

Her return was triumphant, but fraught with peril. She was defiant to the end.

"Bhutto is alive! Bhutto is alive! Bhutto is alive!" she shouted at a rally in December.

Staff Reporter

The killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is a lesson for the politicians of the sub-continent who are practicing politics in a peaceful way. Restoration of democracy is needed in the shortest possible time to avoid such incidents in the country, international relations and political experts said yesterday.

Prof Dr Imtiaj Ahmed former chairman of the DU International Relations department yesterday told the New Nation the matter is not a matter of Pakistan only it has also some relevance in regard to sub-continent politics.

"Few people of the country has tended towards extremism and it would be a deadly combination if those people have arms in their hands, so the government should keep careful eye on the matter," Prof Imtiaj said.

Such incidents could be avoided in the country by the restoration of democracy in the country, he added.

Prof Imtiaj said this type of attack and killing was not unexpected in a country like Pakistan where extremists have deep roots. There might be a Shia-Sunni conflict connection in the incident, he added.

Former chairman of Political Science Department of Dhaka University Prof Dr Ataur Rahman also termed the matter as serious and urged for flourishing democratic society as soon as possible in the country to avoid this kind of attacks. He said the attack was also a lesson for the politicians of Bangladesh as fundamentalists also have a root here.

Such attacks in Pakistan were not unexpected at all and hints of such attacks were found in the country earlier since the return of Benazir in Pakistan, he said. As Pakistan was a frontline state fighting against international terrorism with the US, it was vulnerable for terrorist attacks, he added.

Prof Ataur said absence of democracy in Pakistan for a long time fuelled such attacks.

He also said this attack was a set back for Pakistan's democracy, now the election there is very much uncertain. The politicians of Pakistan would now fear to hold rally or meeting the democracy of it would not be restored soon, said Porf Ataur.

"This kind of terrorist attacks may also hamper the relation of Pakistan with India," he said.

Staff Reporter

Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Housing Barrister Mainul Hosein yesterday termed the resignation of Dr Ayub Quadri from the post of Adviser as unfortunate.

Talking to reporters at the Housing and Public Works Ministry, he said that a section of newspapers had created an

embarrassing situation for Ayub Quadri over the stealing of two artefacts by suggesting his resignation.

"He (Ayub Quadri) was hurt", the Law Adviser said adding, "If such attitude persists it will not be possible for anyone to work."

He said Dr Ayub Quadri is a dignified personality. He had nothing to do with the theft committed at the airport.

Adviser for Communications Maj Gen (Retd) MA Matin also termed the resignation of Dr Ayub Quadri as unfortunate.

Describing Dr Quadri as an honest man, Adviser for Finance Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam said his resignation is painful.

Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Anwarul Iqbal said, "We were working with a team spirit, but that has been spoiled" with the resignation of Dr Ayub Quadri.

It may be mentioned that Dr Quadri, who was in charge of the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs, resigned on Wednesday following the pandemonium over the stealing of two Vishnu statues from the Zia International Airport (ZIA) early Saturday.

Staff Reporter

Absconding Orion Group chairman Obaidul Karim was awarded life sentence for embezzling Tk 6.70 crore of Oriental Bank Limited by a special court yesterday.

The court also fined him Tk 6.70 crore. In default, he will have to serve another two years of rigorous imprisonment.

At the same time, the court also ordered seizing of the bank guarantee submitted by Obaidul Karim in his name in favour of Belhasa Accom JV, the construction firm responsible for constructing the Jatrabari-Gulistan Flyover.

Judge Mohammad Firoze Alam of the Special Judge Court-1 at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex pronounced the verdict yesterday morning.

Other four of the five accused of the case---Oriental Bank's principal branch's senior vice-president Shah Mohammad Harun, senior vice president Abul Kashem Mahmud Ullah, assistant vice president AKM Neyamat Ullah and former assistant vice president Mohammad Fazlur Rahman-were given three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, they will have to suffer more three months of imprisonment.

Besides, ANM Raqibul Islam, executive officer of the principal branch of Oriental Bank Ltd, was awarded one year's rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 10,000. In default, he will have to suffer another one month of imprisonment.

Raqibul Islam surrendered to the court on October 23 last, while the rest of the convicts are still at large.

Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Abdul Latif filed the case with the city's Motijheel Police Station on February 1 last accusing Obaidul Karim and four others.

In the case, the plaintiff mentioned that under active cooperation of Oriental Bank's principal branch's senior vice president Shah Mohammad Harun and other accused, Obaidul Karim opened a false account with that branch in the fake name of one Belal Hossain. Later, Tk 6.70 crore were deposited to that account from the Islampur branch of Oriental Bank Ltd through an inter-branch debit advice. Afterward, the convicts embezzled the entire amount withdrawing from the account.

After investigating into the case, ACC's assistant director Md Rafiquzzaman submitted a chargesheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court accusing two more persons. The charge of the case was framed at the Special Judge Court-1 at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex on October 31.

Recording the depositions of the witnesses started on November 8. After recording the depositions of 12 witnesses the verdict was announced yesterday.

Meanwhile. Former state minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar was placed under a three-day remand yesterday in connection with a case involving taking Tk 21 crore bribes from Basundhara Group.

Producing Babar before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court of Golam Rabbani yesterday, police pleaded to the court to place him under a seven-day remand for questioning. However, the court granted a three-day remand. It was for the first time that Babar was taken to remand in connection with a bribery case.

Sports Reporter

After tasting a six-wicket defeat by hosts New Zealand in the first One Day International (ODI) match on December 26, Bangladesh National Cricket team led by Mohammad Ashraful will face New Zealand National Cricket team led by Daniel Vettori today in the second (ODI) match, which begins at 4.00 AM (Bangladesh Standard Time) at the McLeans Park in Napier of New Zealand.

Before today's ODI Bangladesh and New Zealand faced each other nine times and the Tigers lost to the Kiwis in the all ODI matches.

Bangladesh have made one change in their squad for today's ODI. Middle-order batsman Tushar Imran will be the replacement of Mehrab Hossain (Junior).

Daniel Vettori, who became impressed after watching Mohammad Ashraful's dashing 70 off 57 balls in the first ODI, said that he thought he was pretty outstanding. Vettori also added that he was got an amazing eye and he was going to be a threat to them consistently through that series.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Coach Jamie Siddons admitted that the batsmen of Bangladesh got their strategy wrong and did not focus on staying at the crease for 50 overs.

Teams:

Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Zunaed Siddique, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Shakib AL Hasan, Tushar Imran, Farhad Reza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafee Bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Javed Omar (12th man).

New Zealand From: Daniel Vettori (Captain), Brendon McCullum, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin, Jeetan Patel.

Staff Reporter

Speakers at the 'Non Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) Conference 2007' that began in the city yesterday stressed on creating a congenial atmosphere in the country facilitating the expatriate Bangladeshi scholars contribute to the nation.

The scholars living abroad also expressed their firm commitment to the nation and vowed to contribute in the development of the country.

Scholars Bangladesh (SB), a research organisation, in association with the government has organised the function at Sheraton Hotel in the city. Around 1000 resident and non-resident Bangladeshis, including a host of scientists and renowned personalities, are participating in the three-day conference.

"We believe now is the time to go forward and build a better and prosperous Bangladesh," said Dr Kamal Hossain, who is an adviser of the SB.

Computer Scientist and literary Scholar Dr Zafar Iqbal said, "Bangladeshi scholars reigning all around the world love their motherland tremendously. They really want to do for Bangladesh. But unfortunately the opportunities and scopes are very limited."

He stressed ensuring quality education and security to bring the expatriate scholars back to Bangladesh.

Research has shown that before 1973, more than 90 per cent of Bangladeshi Scholars who were educated and trained in foreign countries came back to their beloved motherland. But after 1973, the rate has gradually decreased to 5-10 per cent.

A stable political environment in the country can encourage NRB's to contribute to their beloved motherland, the speakers observed.

The Government need to offer them investment opportunities, provide them with good job placements, and support them to carry on with their research and implementation work, they said.

Some of the speakers regretted that the expertise Bangladeshi Scholars have gained was not being utilized for the development and betterment of their own motherland. On the contrary, the countries where these expatriates live are gaining by capitalizing on their knowledge and experience.

SB president ME Chowdhury Shameem and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dilara Afroz Khan, NRB advisers Prof Hafiz GA Siddiqi and Prof Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.