Pakistan Says It Tried to Protect Bhutto

KARACHI,Pakistan-Pakistan's government dismissed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's charge that high-ranking officials may have tried to kill her, saying Saturday that it had done everything possible to protect her triumphant return from exile.Bhutto blamed al-Qaida and Taliban militants for the suicide bombing that missed her but killed 136 others Thursday. But she also hinted Friday that followers of former military ruler Gen. Zia ul-Haq - and possibly current government officials - could have been involved."I think we should stop playing blame games. The government provided the best possible security to her," Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim told The Associated Press. "The trauma of the attack has made them say things which probably in coolness of things they will not repeat.""People's names have been mentioned and names have been hinted at without giving any reason or without giving any proof of their involvement, and that is unfair," he said.The list of people who could have targeted the pro-Western Harvard and Oxford graduate is long. Bhutto has lashed out at remnants of the regime of Zia, who seized power in 1977, then arrested and hanged Bhutto's father, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for allegedly conspiring to murder a political opponent.She said many of the same men are fanning elements determined to destabilize Pakistan. Islamic extremists could also be bent on stopping a female political leader from modernizing Pakistan.Her rambling comments during a Friday night press conference left many questions unanswered, but also made it clear she believed powerful Pakistanis bore responsibility."I'm not accusing the government, but certain individuals who abuse their positions and powers," she said. "I know in my heart who my enemies are." Authorities say the suicide bombing bore the hallmarks of a pro-Taliban warlord and the al-Qaida terror network. Officials said the attack began with a man throwing a grenade into a sea of people following Bhutto's convoy, then blowing himself up with a device packed with nuts and bolts.It was one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan's history, turning Bhutto's jubilant homecoming after eight years in exile into a scene of carnage. Officials at six hospitals in Karachi reported 136 dead and about 250 wounded.
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As in the days of Noah....