Rawalpindi, Dec.27 : Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto,
54, was shot at and killed by at least two snipers before a suicide
bomb attack on the periphery of her carcade.

Police confirmed
that the snipers fired five bullets from AK-47 assault rifles. Two of
the bullets hit Benazir in the neck, while a third hit her forehead.

No
one was near her car when the shots were fired at her. Two of her key
political aides, including PPP leader and spokesperson Sherry Rehman
and her security aide, were also grievously injured in the attack.

She
was taken to the Rawalpindi General Hospital, where a military
spokesman and members of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) confirmed
that she had succumbed to her injuries. Wasif Ali Khan, a member of
the PPP who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital, said she died at 6.16
p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.

Before her assassination, Bhutto
had addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi. At least 30 other people
reportedly died in the attack and several more were injured.

Bhutto,
who was campaigning for the January 8, 2008 elections, had twice been
the country's prime minister, in 1988 for 20 months and again between
1993 and 1996.

Her killing is likely to provoke an agonised response from her followers, especially from her loyal following in Sindh Province.

Bhutto
was the key to her party's political fortunes, as she was seen as a
major political player in the forthcoming elections. The PPP has the
largest support of any party in the country.

Rawalpindi, a
garrison city, is seen as one of the country's most secure cities,
making the attack on Benazir even more embarrassing for President
Pervez Musharraf and the military authorities.

Supporters at the
hospital began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog", referring to President
Pervez Musharraf. Amidst the scenes of grief and shock, some PPP
activists broke the glass door at the main entrance to the emergency
unit as others wept. Outside the hospital and in Liaquat Bagh area, her
supporters attacked police vans and cars, and shouted slogans against
the lapse in security.

A man with a PPP flag tied around his head could be seen beating his chest in grief.

Interior
ministry spokesman Javed Cheema, was quoted as saying that she may have
been killed by pellets packed into the suicide bomber's vest, but a PPP
security adviser said she was shot in the neck and chest as she got
into her vehicle, before one of the gunmen blew himself up.

Among
the mourners at the hospital were Nawaz Sharif, also a former prime
minister and opposition leader, who squarely blamed President Musharraf
and the Pakistan Army for the tragedy.

Earlier on Thursday at
least four people were killed ahead of a PML (N) election rally that
Sharif was preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.

The killing was condemned by the US and Russia, and a statement is expected shortly from the UK.

"The
attack shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying to undermine
reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan," a US State
Department spokesman said.

The Russian foreign ministry
condemned the attack, offered condolences to Ms Bhutto's family and
said it hoped the Pakistani leadership would "manage to take necessary
steps to ensure stability in the country".

The French Government described the assassination as an "odious" act, and said it was deeply concerned.

Bhutto
had returned from self-imposed exile in October 18 after nine years out
of Pakistan where she had faced corruption charges. On the day of her
return, she led a motor cavalcade through Karachi. It was hit by a
double suicide attack that left some 130 people dead.

Her return
was reportedly the result of a power-sharing agreement with President
Musharraf in which he granted an amnesty that covered the court cases
she was facing.

Since her return, however, her relations with
Musharraf had broken down. According to some unconfirmed reports, she
was scheduled to meet Musharraf on Thursday evening after addressing
the rally. (ANI)