Bhutto blasts Musharraf for militant attack

Published Monday, December 24, 2007

LARKANA, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto accused the government yesterday of failing to crush Islamic militants days after a suicide bombing killed 56 people during prayers in a mosque.

Meanwhile, an army statement said a suicide bombing of a military convoy killed five civilians and four soldiers in the troubled northwest.

It said 13 civilians and 10 soldiers were wounded in the attack in the town of Mangora in Swat district, where security forces have carried out several operations against followers of a pro-Taliban radical Islamic cleric.

Bhutto’s sharp criticism came hours before the latest suicide attack. She spoke as the campaign heated up for next month’s parliamentary elections, with politicians addressing rallies around the country.

The former prime minister, speaking to about 25,000 supporters in her hometown of Larkana, said the ruling party of President Pervez Musharraf’s government bore the blame for the rise of Islamic militancy. "Militants gained power, and the government’s legitimacy weakened," Bhutto said.

Though Pakistan is a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have extended their influence over parts of the volatile northwest in the past two years. They have launched numerous suicide attacks in recent months, usually targeting security officials and their families.

In the latest attack, a suicide bomber, apparently targeting former Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao, blew himself up Friday in a village mosque. Sherpao said the blast killed 56 people.

As interior minister, Sherpao helped lead the government’s fight against militants. He survived another suicide attack eight months ago.

Sherpao, who is running for Parliament in the Jan. 8 elections, said the latest bombing would not deter him from campaigning.

"I have a cause, and it is to serve my country," he told reporters in Peshawar, a city adjacent to the capital, Islamabad.

Bhutto escaped two suicide attacks in October when she returned to the country after eight years in exile.

Another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, held a rally yesterday in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi. Sharif also recently returned from exile in Saudi Arabia after Musharraf ousted his government in a 1999 coup.

Addressing supporters from his Pakistan Muslim League-N party, Sharif told supporters that voting for his party would help oust Musharraf, who declared emergency rule on Nov. 3, giving the government stronger powers. Musharraf lifted the state of emergency on Dec. 15.

"We will ensure the rule of law," said Sharif, who is campaigning even though he has been barred from running for Parliament by the Election Commission.

The government said yesterday it would push ahead with its fight against al-Qaida and Taliban militants and would work to ensure a peaceful election campaign despite the mosque attack.

"Pakistan is a front-line state in the war on terror. Such attacks cannot deter our resolve," Information Minister Nisar Memon said.