Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a suicide bomb attack. The leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had just addressed a rally of PPP
supporters in the town of Rawalpindi
when the attack took place. First reports talked of at least 100 killed in the attack, but more recent news put the figure at 20. This murderous onslaught on the PPP came in the
middle of an election campaign where, after years of military dictatorship, the
masses were striving for a change.
On the evening
of December 18 two comrades putting up posters and canvassing in Karachi were threatened by
10 armed activists of the MQM organization. They attempted to abduct one of the
comrades but failed to do so thanks to the intervention of local people. All
comrades must be put on alert for any immediate mobilization of support that
may be requested.
Dawn, one of Pakistan's most widely circulated English language newspapers, published an article today about Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, “'the only communist member' from the PPP in the last National Assembly”. Manzoor will stand for the elections again in constituency NA-139, Kasur, where he has won in the 2002 election.