Friday marks the 17th anniversary of the tragic Karsaz bombing, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Pakistan's political history. On October 18, 2007, a motorcade carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was attacked by suicide bombers in Karachi, resulting in the deaths of at least 180 people and injuries to over 500 others. The bombing targeted Bhutto and her supporters as she returned to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile. The attack, which occurred just two months before Bhutto’s assassination, was a devastating blow to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a grim reminder of the volatile security situation in the country at the time. The streets of Karachi were filled with supporters who had gathered to welcome Bhutto back. Two explosions ripped through the crowd as Bhutto’s truck was en route from the airport to the tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah for a scheduled rally. Though Bhutto herself survived the attack, many of her loyal supporters and police officers lost their lives. In the aftermath, Bhutto demanded an investigation into why streetlights along the route had been turned off, a factor that hampered her security team’s ability to prevent the attack.

Despite calls for a probe by international experts, the Pakistani government rejected the request, expressing confidence in local law enforcement’s ability to investigate. The attack was later attributed to extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda and elements of the Taliban, although Bhutto herself had raised suspicions about several figures within the regime of then-President Pervez Musharraf. Al-Qaeda’s Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam and Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud were both implicated in the plot, and both were later killed in drone strikes in Pakistan. On this somber day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid tribute to the 180 martyrs of the Karsaz tragedy. He stated that the attack was a well-thought-out conspiracy to silence the voice of democracy but asserted that those who sought to suppress democratic ideals through terrorism and violence had failed. “Martyr Benazir Bhutto was targeted when 3 million people came out to welcome her,” Bilawal said, reflecting on the massive gathering on the fateful day.

He added that the tragedy reminds the nation that brave heroes sacrificed their lives for the cause of democracy. Bilawal also emphasized that the sacrifice of PPP supporters, the "Jiyalas," is an integral part of the party’s long and peaceful journey towards a democratic Pakistan. He reaffirmed that the struggle for a peaceful and democratic Pakistan was a vision led by Benazir Bhutto and continues to inspire the party’s fight against extremism and injustice. “Dictatorship and terrorists together targeted martyr Benazir Bhutto and the central leadership of the party,” Bilawal stated, underscoring the concerted efforts by adversaries to undermine democracy. He vowed that the blood shed in the Karsaz tragedy would continue to inspire Pakistan’s ongoing fight against extremism, honoring the martyrs who laid down their lives in pursuit of democratic values.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan