Tens of thousands gather for Bhutto commemorations
AFP, December 27, 2008
LARKANA, Pakistan (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Pakistanis have massed near the tomb of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto on the eve of ceremonies marking the first anniversary of her killing, according to officials.
More than 35,000 people had already arrived in rural southern Pakistan ahead of Saturday's ceremonies at the Bhutto family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Ijaz Durrani told AFP.
People were travelling by train, bus, car, bicycle and even on foot to reach the site, he said. Hundreds of thousands were expected by Saturday.
Bhutto, 54, was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in a gun and suicide attack at an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, just two months after returning to Pakistan from exile.
Her killing threw the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation into chaos, sparking violence and leading to months of political turmoil that ended in September when her widower Asif Ali Zardari claimed the presidency.
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One year on, Benazir’s murder is still a mystery, but not so much - The News
Bhutto's Pakistan, A Year On - Shuja Nawaz, Post global, The Washington Post
Too many questions still unanswered: Benazir’s assassination - Dawn
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