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Ear to the Ground

Scotland Yard Weighs In on Bhutto’s Death

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Posted on Feb 7, 2008
Bhutto mourner
AP photo / Wally Santana

A Pakistani woman grieves Bhutto’s death at the end of the traditional 40-day period of mourning on Thursday in Islamabad.

If Benazir Bhutto’s supporters were hoping that a Scotland Yard investigation into the former prime minister’s death would contradict the Pakistani government’s findings, they’re bound to be disappointed by Thursday’s reports that the British police agency pieced together a similar account of her Dec. 27 assassination. 


The New York Times:

Investigators from Scotland Yard have concluded that Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani opposition leader, died after hitting her head as she was tossed by the force of a suicide blast, not from an assassin’s bullet, officials who have been briefed on the inquiry said Thursday.

The findings support the Pakistani government’s explanation of Ms. Bhutto’s assassination in December, an account that had been greeted with disbelief by Ms. Bhutto’s supporters, other Pakistanis and medical experts.

Also on Thursday, the Pakistani government announced the arrest of two more suspects in connection with the assassination but gave few other details.

Thousands of Ms. Bhutto’s supporters gathered in her hometown in southern Pakistan, marking the end of a 40-day mourning period.

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By Scott, February 11, 2008 at 11:04 am Link to this comment

Why is everyone so hung up on this?

It doesn’t change the fact that she was murdered in the attack that was directed at her. Nor does it reduce any amount of suspicion that it could have been arranged by Mushareff, Bush or Bin Laden, all three stand to benefit from her death.

Bhutto’s followers are being lead down a dead-end alley. Why?

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By Sean, February 11, 2008 at 12:04 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

The idea that she died from hitting her head on a sunroof level is just absurd in my opinion. Of course there was no foul play from within the Pakistani government… and the US sees a connection with Al-Qaeda in the assassination. What else would you expect?

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By Scott, February 10, 2008 at 4:30 pm Link to this comment

{i}the Pakistani opposition leader, died after hitting her head as she was tossed by the force of a suicide blast[/i}

Okay…in other words she was murdered?

Excuse me but, what was the point of Scotland Yard’s excersize again?

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By nefertiti, February 9, 2008 at 8:43 am Link to this comment

I also remembered that wihin ONE hour of her death , the streets were Washed with powerful hoses shown on the media , why would they hurry to wash the road when the area should have been cordonned to take useful evidence . what clues were they trying to hide ??

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By nefertiti, February 9, 2008 at 8:39 am Link to this comment

I find it hard to believe , when scotland yard did not even do an autopsy nor watched the video that shows the guy with sunglasses fire his gun 3 times during which time Bhutto FELL to the ground in her bomb proof car . the ladies who washed her Body also spoke of Bullets to her head and neck . who are they kidding ? Scotland yard has been sent by the UK to stand by an ALLY and friend in the war on terror .
Bhutto was a dangerous opponent to the dictator , he had no chance win the elections . he had to get rid of her .
why did he allow her in ? to play a game of a modern president who does not fear competition , and allowing her into the country is the safest way to get rid of her .

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By jatihoon, February 9, 2008 at 7:23 am Link to this comment

I do not know what Scotlnd Yard says, but I only have one “YARD STICK,” and I have a proof, and I know how Benazir Bhutto was killed and by who…..............she was killed by “HATERED.”

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By Douglas Chalmers, February 9, 2008 at 6:56 am Link to this comment

By A Khokar, February 8: “...signed by seven Surgeons who treated her is very clear and beyond any ambiguity that she died of her skull injury which is apparently not a bullet wound…”

Discussion on the cause of her death and other mechanics involved… are a useless exercise and waste of time and energy, A Khokar. It only distracts our attention to chase the actual culprits - the gang who killed her - and YOU know who that is, uhh.

Detectives are ‘fig leaf’ for President Musharraf - January 4: ”...five Scotland Yard detectives boarded a flight to Pakistan… Britain was accused of providing a fig leaf for President Musharraf by helping the investigation into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

Mr Musharraf angrily denied allegations that he or his Government was behind Ms Bhutto’s death…. “By half-heartedly declaring this international involvement, he is attempting to cover up the cover-up…” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3129285.ece

So, there was a shooting AND there was a bomb AND there was a sniper….... but having a bomb is a very cionvenient way of messing up the evidence. How can anyone tell if there were gunshot wounds, or what kind,  if the flesh was already blasted or even blown away???

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By A Khokar, February 8, 2008 at 4:38 pm Link to this comment

In the light of Medical Report issued by Rawalpindi General Hospital, signed by seven Surgeons who treated her is very clear and beyond any ambiguity that she died of her skull injury which is apparently not a bullet wound.

Discussion on the cause of her death and other mechanics involved with in her vehicle or for that matter whether bullets fired at her hit her or not; are a use less exercise and waste of time and energy. It only distracts our attention to chase the actual culprits; the gangues who killed her.

After addressing the gathering; while Bhutto was leaving the compound in a slow moving jeep and the crowed was allowed to be drawn in too close; (a worst scenario for a PPP security men that it went out of their hands). It is seen that apparently a young man, wearing a dark glasses with a pistol, who is seen just next to tail end of jeep; fired number of shots aiming at Bhutto. The sun roof hatch was also having a set of armour plates raised around it. The killer although is seen too close to the tail end of jeep but with the armour plates around the sunroof hatch that he had to aim at an high angle i.e. firing above the shoulder and head level, that killer fired; it can’t be said that it was a sure kill scenario.

It is quite possible that the killer even at this point blank gun shot range plus his state of mind that he could have been in; must have missed her altogether. Medical report also reveals that there were no shot wounds on her body.
(Ref: liveleak.com) 

Bhutto- Medical Report:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/articles/bhutto_medicalreport_010108.html?sid=ST2007123102506

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By Ray, February 8, 2008 at 2:59 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Heard this story this morning and was dumbfounded!  What kind of deal had Musaraff and SY made?  I do seem to remember that several days after the assasination a video and photos too were shown on the major networks showing clearly a gunman firing his weapon at Bhutto just before the suicide bomber blew himself up.  The flashes can be clearly seen come from the weapon held by a man wearing sunglasses.  He fires and then you see Bhutto’s head fall, then comes the explosion.  Yep…I agree…I really don’t see how it could possibly be any other reason for her death than the explosion which made her hit her head and die.  Excellent work SY…oh and by the way…the Queen…she’s just a figment of everyone’s imagination…she’s not really there and there really isn’t a Buckingham Palace and oh…yes…the Americans did not gain their independence in 1776 from jolly old England…that was all just a mistake…probably a reflection off the clouds from the sun causing you folks across the pond to just think you were granted independence. Do you sense a bit of sarcasm here?  Please SY insult our intelligence some more!  To quote former tennis great John McEnroe…You cannot be serious?!  GIVE ME A BREAK!

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By DennisD, February 8, 2008 at 1:58 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Scotland Yard - I’m still waiting for the conclusion of the Jack the Ripper murder investigation.

Find the banana peel you say she slipped on and be done with it or do we have to get Inspector Clouseau or Nancy Grace involved.

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By diane podlogar, February 8, 2008 at 10:29 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

HOW IN THE HELL DOES SCOTLAND YARD KNOW HOW SHE DIED? THERE WAS NO AUTOPSY DONE.

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By Douglas Chalmers, February 8, 2008 at 5:57 am Link to this comment

NY Times: “It is unclear how the Scotland Yard investigators reached such conclusive findings absent autopsy results or other potentially important evidence that was washed away by cleanup crews…”

Typical of a government (Britain’s) whose former prime minister and senior officials in parliament effectively brought a multi-$billion armamants corruption scandal to an end for the sake of protecting some precious Saudi princes.

Desperate to have people forget that the lastest possibility was that Benazir Bhutto was shot by a sniper using a rifle, Scotland Yard has been co-opted to do the one thing that the British authorities usually do - to deny everthing, uhh!

Obviously, the fantasises and delusions surrounding the non-existence of Osama Bin Laden and the fact that Al Qaeda is based in Karachi and the Taleban is based in Islamabad instead of some remote mountain hideaway are things that the British government don’t want revealed either.

Back to reviewing what BB said last year about those things which implicate the Pakistani authorities - the dictatorship (the army and the judiciary) - and Britain as well as the USA (de facto dictatorships). The Woman Who Knew Too Much http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=f1uLdmct8_E

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