Bhutto's Party to Hold Meeting

Thousands of mourners converged Sunday on the ancestral home of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, shouting anti-government slogans ahead of a meeting to decide who should succeed her as party head and whether to boycott parliamentary elections.The meeting comes as critics accuse the government of failing to properly investigate the Thursday attack that killed Bhutto, plunging the nuclear-armed nation deeper into political crisis and triggering nationwide riots that have left at least 44 people dead. A pullout by the Pakistan People's Party could destroy the credibility of the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections, already being boycotted by Pakistan's other main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif.

"Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life for the sake of this country and for democracy," her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, told mourners after they had thrown flowers at the mausoleum where she was buried. "But her blood will not be in vain ... Bhutto will remain alive in the hearts of people."

Police struggled to control the crowds in Bhutto's hometown of Naudero, many of whom had walked miles to get there. They shouted "Musharraf is a killer!" and called for the separation of Bhutto's home province of Sindh from the rest of Pakistan. Controversy remained about whether she was killed by gunshots, a shrapnel wound or the concussive force of the blast. She was buried without an autopsy and the debate over her cause of death was undermining confidence in the government and further angering her followers. On Saturday, the government rejected suggestions it should enlist foreign help in investigating Bhutto's assassination. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that an international probe into Bhutto's death was vital because there was "no reason to trust the Pakistani government." Others called for a U.N. investigation.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Pakistan had not officially requested U.S. help.
"It's a responsibility of the government of Pakistan to ensure that the investigation is thorough. If Pakistani authorities ask for assistance we would review the request," he said. A senior U.S. official, however, said Pakistan was already "discussing with other governments as to how best the investigation can be handled." With the United States, the discussions "are about what we can offer and what the Pakistanis want. Having some help to make sure international questions are answered is definitely an option," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no agreement had yet come from the discussions.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistani officials.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband offered his country's assistance. "Obviously it's very important that a full investigation does take place, and has the confidence of all concerned," he said. The government has blamed the attack on Baitullah Mehsud, head of the Tehrik-i-Taliban, a newly formed coalition of Islamic militants along the Afghan border believed to be linked to al-Qaida and committed to waging holy war against the government.
But a spokesman for Mehsud, Maulana Mohammed Umer, dismissed the allegations as "government propaganda."
Bhutto's aides said they, too, doubted Mehsud was involved and accused the government of a cover-up.
"The story that al-Qaida or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's party.
Authorities initially said Bhutto died from bullet wounds. A surgeon who treated her later said the impact from shrapnel on her skull killed her. But Cheema said Friday that Bhutto was killed when the shockwaves from the bomb smashed her head into the sunroof as she tried to duck back inside the vehicle.

Bhutto's spokeswoman Sherry Rehman, who was in the vehicle that rushed her boss to the hospital, disputed that.
"She was bleeding profusely, as she had received a bullet wound in her neck. My car was full of blood. Three doctors at the hospital told us that she had received bullet wounds. I was among the people who gave her a final bath. We saw a bullet wound in the back of her neck," she said. "What the government is saying is actually dangerous and nonsensical. They are pouring salt on our wounds. There are no findings, they are just lying."
Cheema stood by the government's version of events, and said Bhutto's party was free to exhume her body for an autopsy.

The election commission has called an emergency meeting for Monday to decide how to proceed with the parliamentary elections. Riots have destroyed nine election offices - along with the voter rolls and ballot boxes inside, the election commission said. In the eastern city of Bahawalnagar, meanwhile, two suspected suicide bombers died early Sunday when they prematurely detonated their bomb near the residence of Ijazul Haq, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, police said. Haq was not at home at the time. The blast was the first suicide attack in Pakistan since Bhutto's assassination. (AP- John Heilprin)