By IANS
Islamabad : Several people were killed and many wounded Thursday as violence erupted at election rallies of Pakistani opposition leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in the twin city of Rawalpindi, police and witnesses said. Both leaders were reported to be safe.
The Dawn TV channel said 15 people were feared killed in the explosions at Bhutto’s rally soon after she left the venue at the Liaquat Bagh.
Pakistan TV pictures showed people running helter-skelter after the explosions even as rescue crews rushed to the spot to evacuate the wounded.
This is the second time a Bhutto rally has been targeted after the former prime minister’s return home from exile Oct 18. Several explosions ripped through her convoy as it wound its way through Karachi, killing over 100 people.
Four people were killed when gunmen believed to belong to a rival political party opened fire at the crowds attending Sharif’s rally at Karal Chowk.
Police officer Shoaib Janbaz was quoted as saying that Sharif was shifted to a safe location after the incident, while army commandoes were called in to re-enforce police in controlling the tense situation in the area.
According to Siddiqul Farooq, a spokesman for Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the gunmen belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, which ruled the country till the national and provincial assemblies were dissolved Nov 15 ahead of the Jan 8 general elections.
Two vehicles belonging to Chaudhry Tanvir, a former member of the Punjab provincial assembly, were considerably damaged in the firing.
Rawalpindi bristled with security personnel as it is home to the Pakistan Army General Headquarters and the residence of the army chief, where President Pervez Musharraf has been staying since he grabbed power in 1999.
Bhutto and her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are contesting the Jan 8 general elections among whispers of a deal between her and Musharraf to share power in the new dispensation.
While the PML-N has also fielded its candidates for the polls, Nawaz, also a former prime minister, has been barred from running.