How former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto's mother, was killed

File Photo

The assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi. Bhutto was campaigning for elections to be held in January 2008. Shots were fired at her after a political rally and a suicide bomber blew himself immediately after the shooting. 

She was the mother of Bilawal Bhutto, who has now been appointed as the country’s foreign minister by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

A five-member squad of militants was assigned the task of killing Benazir Bhutto because she might have allowed foreign forces to act against Mujahideen and Taliban if she came to power in Pakistan's general election, a top police official had said after her assassination.

This was disclosed by two men, Hasnain Gul and Rafaqat, who were arrested for alleged involvement in Bhutto's assassination, said additional Inspector General of police Abdul Majeed, who headed the special police team probing the killing.

"The motive behind the attack was that Mohtarma Bhutto was coming back to Pakistan with the backing of foreign powers, and if she won the polls, she may have allowed foreign forces to take action against the Mujahideen and Taliban," Majeed said.

Bilal was the man who fired shots at Bhutto after she addressed an election rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on December 27 and then blew himself up near her armoured car, he said.

Ikramullah, who was also wearing a suicide jacket, would have targeted Bhutto if she had survived the first blast. After the attack on her, Ikramullah spent the night in Rawalpindi and travelled to the militant stronghold of Waziristan the next day. 

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party had expressed dissatisfaction with the probe conducted by the Pakistani police. It had demanded a UN-led inquiry to uncover the truth.