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“India orders “high state of vigil” on Pakistan border NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters): India has ordered its border forces to “a high state of vigil” after the assassination of Benazir
Bhutto raised the spectre of chaos in Pakistan spilling over to its nuclear-armed neighbour. “There has been a general advisory to all the border forces to maintain a high state of vigil. You
can guess why,” a Home Ministry spokesman told Reuters on Friday. “There are no specific threats as yet. They have been put on alert, there have been various speculations, jihadis, the
spillover effect.” (Posted @ 11:15 PST)”

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At least 10 dead in riots after Bhutto murder: interior ministry KARACHI, Dec 28 (AFP): At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded Thursday as angry mobs took to
the streets in several Pakistan cities after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the interior ministry told AFP. “The death toll in the unrest after Bhutto’s death is 10, mostly in Sindh
province,” ministry spokesman Javed Cheema said. He said dozens of people had been wounded in the violence, which hit several cities across the country. Four died in Karachi, four in
rural Sindh province in the south and two in Lahore, he said. (Posted @ 09:58 PST)

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/welcome.htm

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A REPORT sent by the Rawalpindi General Hospital to the Health Department of the Punjab provincial government said all
efforts by its doctors to revive Ms Bhutto failed and she was declared dead exactly 41 minutes after she was brought at its
emergency department at 5.35pm with open wounds on her left temporal bone from which “brain matter was exuding”.

It said the PPP leader was not breathing at the time and her pulse and blood pressure “were not recordable”.

The report said “immediate resuscitation (process) was started” and she was taken to the operation theatre where the same
was done by a team of doctors headed by Prof Musaddiq Khan, principal of the Rawalpindi Medical College.

“Left antrolateral thoracotomy for open cardiac massage was performed,” it said and added: “In spite of all the possible
measures she could not be revived and (was) declared dead at 1816 (6.16pm) hours.”

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top2.htm

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LAHORE, Dec 27: Rail and air traffic between major cities was suspended on Thursday after violence broke out in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar.

All PIA flights from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar were rescheduled till 6am on Friday.

“Most crew members and other staff could not reach airports, necessitating the rescheduling of flights,” a PIA spokesperson said while advising passengers to check
the flight schedule before coming to the airport.

Officials at the railway headquarters in Lahore said that the uprooting of a rail track by a violent mob near Rawalpindi had made it impossible to run trains to and from
Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

Similarly, some trains had been set on fire in some areas of Sindh, forcing the PR Karachi Division authorities to suspend the rail service. “The situation in Lahore and
Quetta is also not favourable to run trains from there,” a railway officer said. He urged travellers to check the departure time of their respective trains from railways’
inquiry number 117.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top9.htm

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HYDERABAD, Dec 27: At least five people were injured when the grief-stricken workers of the Pakistan People’s Party turned violent in various cities and towns of
Sindh protesting the assassination of chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Thursday.

About two dozen bank branches, several police stations, petrol pumps and vehicles were set ablaze in arson attacks as a pall of gloom fell over the province.

Thousands of terrified passengers, travelling from Karachi to Punjab and the NWFP through buses and trains, were stranded at different points on highways and
railways stations after the traffic was suspended by the railways authorities and transporters.

PPP supporters cried and hugged each other in mourning. Angry protesters then took to the streets and attacked offices of nazims, PML-Q and MQM in various
towns.

In Hyderabad, the protesters smashed billboards and portraits of political leaders who were allies of the government.

The offices of DPO and DCO in Tando Mohammad Khan were torched.

The protesters burnt an engine and three bogies of Mehran Express at the Tandojam station. When protesters tried to torch another bank in Tando Allahyar, the
guard resorted to firing injuring four people.

Offices of Matiari DPO, taluka nazim, naib nazim and TMO were set on fire. The protesters torched four vehicles parked at the Matiari police station, including police
mobiles.

In Tando Mohammad Khan, the activists set ablaze the district nazim secretariat, TMA office, a fire engine and two petrol pumps.

In Shikarpur, offices of the Edhi Welfare Trust, PIA, TMA, district council, railway station, MQM and First Women Bank were ransacked.

In Thatta, protesters set on fire a telephone exchange, a traffic police picket, TMA office, Raja bakery and a number of vehicles.

The PPP supporters attacked the Thatta police station and exchanged fire with the police, injuring an unidentified constable. Portraits of the Shirazi brothers and
banners of pro-government parties were set on fire.

In Badin, shops were closed, youths took to the streets and set ablaze tyres.

In Nawabshah, PPP workers resorted to aerial firing and burnt tyres.

The protesters also blocked the National Highway at Qazi Ahmed. The main cloth market and two vehicles were also torched.

In Khairpur, PPP activists blocked all the roads.

In Naushahro Feroze, hundreds of people gathered in Padidan and pelted the railway station with stones. They also burnt some shops in the town.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top7.htm

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LARKANA, Dec 27: A pall of gloom descended over the Bhutto hometown as the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination
reached here on Thursday evening. With people in a state of shock, there were scenes of rioting all around.

Small traders and kiosk owners shut their shops as people came out into the streets, shouting slogans against President
Pervez Musharraf, burning tyres and attacking vehicles. Policemen were nowhere to be seen.

Naudero town was completely shut with protestors raising slogans against the government and damaging everything that
came in their path.

The protesters set on fire bank branches in various localities of the city, besides torching the District Council Hall in the
Jinnahbagh area.

An employee of the Askari Bank told this correspondent on phone that some bank workers were still inside the branch.
The main building of the State Life Insurance was damaged and eyewitnesses said that it had been set on fire.

A bakery was also set ablaze. Some protesters in Naudero set on fire the Khushhal Khan Khatak Express at the Shahnawaz Bhutto railway station, reports reaching
here said.

A large number of PPP supporters reached Ms Bhutto’s Naudero house to mourn the death of their leader.

Reports reaching here from Shahdadkot indicated that the town was quite tense. Protesters had set ablaze a bank branch, burnt tyres and push-carts right from the
‘Koto Moto’ chowk to the Station Road.

In Qambar, PPP supporters pulled down posters and banners of rival parties and removed flags hoisted over party offices.

Protesters attacked a police station in Badah and burnt a car inside the station. Police personnel ran away from the station while the wireless operator took refuge in a
nearby mosque.

In Larkana, a mob tried to break into the Market police station but protesters were dispersed after police lobbed tear-gas shells, sources said.

Rangers and police personnel started patrolling the city at 10.30pm.

The district police officer and the district nazim had called for army’s support to control the situation but troops were not seen anwhere till the filing of this report.

According to eyewitnesses, mobs broke into two arms’ shop near Pakistan Chowk and looted arms and ammunition. Police confirmed that one arms shop had been
looted.

Offices of the Education Department near the Govt Girls’ Colleges and Wapda’s office near the Al Murtaza House were also attacked.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/28/top8.htm