Two different accounts about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto: On one hand, eyewitness accounts from several independent sources that Bhutto was shot by a gunman who then blew himself up. On the other hand, Pakistani officials in Musharraf’s government say that she was killed by shrapnel.

 
First, a short sampling of those who say that Bhutto was killed by a gunman:

1. Getty Images photographer John Moore, present at the scene, narrates that he “heard three shots go off,” and saw Bhutto go down through the sunroof of her car. Audio here.

The blast of the explosion followed.

2. An article in the Dover-New Delaware Times Reporter, by AP reporters Sadaqat Jan and Zarar Khan, quotes an eyewitness by name:

 

“Then, as Bhutto left the rally in a white sports utility vehicle, the attacker struck.

Sardar Qamar Hayyat, an official from Bhutto’s party, was about 10 yards away. A smiling Bhutto stuck her head out of the sunroof and responded to the chants of her supporters, he said.

“Then I saw a thin, young man jumping toward her vehicle from the back and opening fire. Moments later, I saw her speeding vehicle going away. That was the time when I heard a blast and fell down,” Hayyat said.

The blast was a suicide bomb the young man apparently was carrying. The carnage was immediate.”

3. The Australian Melbourne Herald Sun on Dec. 28 cites “several witnesses” who said “a suicide bomber appeared to have shot the two-time former prime minister in the head before blowing up himself up after a campaign rally.”

4. The same paper also runs a report on Dec. 29 including the statement, “Three to five shots were fired at Ms Bhutto, witnesses said. She was hit in the neck and slumped back in the vehicle. Blood poured from her head, and she never regained consciousness.” Both articles make clear that the crowds in the streets immediately link the assassination to Musharraf. The Dec. 29 article also quotes a reporter present at the scene, AFP correspondent Nasir Jaffry.

5. Chinese Xinhua cites police sources:

 

“Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was shot by her attacker before he blew himself up in a suicide bomb attack Thursday outside a campaign rally, police said Thursday.

    Bhutto, 54, died in a hospital after a suspected suicide rocked her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30 km south from Islamabad.

    The latest reports from the state-run PTV said at least ten people were killed in the blast.

    However, a private TV, ARJ, reported that at least 20 were killed and another 42 were injured in the blast.”

 

 

The Musharraf government, which attributes the killing to al-Qaeda (quel surprise), also says officially that Bhutto was killed by shrapnel, not by gunshot or by bullets.

 

 

Btw, NDTV.com in India publishes the following account:

 

“Bhutto got off the stage after addressing the rally and started moving towards her car. Her vehicle moved a certain distance and she was surrounded by party supporters. She came out of the car and just then two attackers with AK 47s pumped her with bullets, one in the neck and two in the head. After shooting, a third attacker blew himself up near Benazir's car. Benazir was declared dead at 6.16 pm local time at a Rawalpindi hospital, 40 minutes after she was taken in.
The attack also killed more than 20 people and left several others injured.”

 

Disregarding this last for the time being, it is disconcerting that such diametrically opposed accounts could come from ostensibly reliable sources. Bhutto’s husband is reported by one source not to have permitted an autopsy. His reason for refusing is not stated. However, if the autopsy were performed by officials already tainted or compromised by their associations, an autopsy might shed little light.