ISAS Briefs

The assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi plunged Pakistan, already rocked by months of agitations by liberal-secular as well as Islamic fundamentalist opponents of the government of President Pervez Musharraf, deeper into anarchy and chaos, creating for a few days, a most critical situation. Nationwide armed clashes between the followers of Ms Bhutto and the security forces were reported. Particularly in her home province of Sindh, a virtual rebellion seemed to be taking shape but the government managed to bring the situation under control through the threat of 'shooting on sight'. However, the situation remains volatile.