(AHN) The twin blasts that marred former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto return to Pakistan was the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history, with a death toll of 132 and more than 200 wounded. The figures are likely to rise, authorities said.
I’m really disappointed by the condition of humanity. These thoughts are sad ones. Plenty of distractions work to bury all that, but the notion of jihad equaling something so heinous, this perversion of Islam, how it is surging in Pakistan and other places, speaks volumes. People are not acting for the sake of this life here on earth. Ironically, they kill innocent people because of a hunger for power here on earth that cannot be satisfied through the spreading of their ideas alone.
No – very much like the United States, the pretend-jihadists foolishly believe that violence is their golden ticket.
(Pakistan Daily Times – Written prior to the attacks) That Bhutto remains a crowd-puller is evident from her reception. But leaving aside the rhetoric, the symbolism, the dramaturgy and even the poetry of the moment, the plunge she has taken is probably the most challenging decision of her life. Ms Benazir Bhutto is back; she has replicated her 1986 reception. Once again, she is five-star material. But 2007 is not 1986. The difference offers both challenges and opportunities.Writing in the Times of London, Bhutto says she is carrying “a manuscript of a book” and describes it as “a treatise on the reconciliation of the values of Islam and the West and a prescription for a moderate, modern Islam that marginalises extremists, returns the military from politics to their barracks, treats all citizens and especially women equally and selects its leaders by free and fair elections.” This is a tall order. Reality is that this manifesto, if it can be called that, may be more of a wish-list.
(CNN) The blasts confirmed fears of instability linked to her return, which came after she reached a controversial agreement with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that will allow her to seek re-election as prime minister. Many were bitterly opposed to that deal. “This is what everyone feared,” Rivers said.
Ahmed said Musharraf, who is waiting to see if the Supreme Court confirm his eligibility as president, will most likely take this opportunity to strengthen his position. “He will say, ‘I told you so, He will tell Washington I told you so. He will tell Benazir Bhutto I told you so. This is not the time for you to come back, stay out let me handle the administration, let me be the strong man,’ ” Ahmed said.
(Bloomberg) Credit-default swaps on Pakistan’s debt rose 25 basis points to 300 basis points, according to ABN Amro Holding NV. Each basis point on a contract protecting $10 million of debt from default for five years adds $1,000 to the annual cost. Pakistan’s benchmark stock index may fall from a record after the attacks targeted the convoy of Benazir Bhutto, who returned to the nation seeking to be elected prime minister.
The “thug bubble”…