Dec. 27: The Day Bullets Silenced Benazir Bhutto

December 27, 2007 marks the assassination of Benazir Bhutto at a Rawalpindi election rally, a tragic attack that shook Pakistan’s democracy and exposed deep failures in security and justice.

WEBDESK — The crowd was jubilant, the slogans loud, and the promise of democracy alive when Benazir Bhutto stepped out of a bulletproof vehicle to wave at supporters. Moments later, history turned dark.

On December 27, 2007, Bhutto was assassinated at an election rally in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh, just weeks before national elections. A teenage militant hiding among cheering supporters fired shots and detonated a suicide bomb as Bhutto emerged through the sunroof of her armored vehicle. She was killed instantly. At least 23 others died with her.

Bhutto, 54, had returned to Pakistan only months earlier after eight years in self-imposed exile, determined to lead her party to power for a third time. She had already survived one assassination attempt in Karachi that killed nearly 150 people. The risks were known. The warnings were clear.

Yet, on that winter evening, security collapsed.

As news of her death spread, Pakistan erupted. Streets burned, trains were torched, banks looted and protests spiraled into chaos. The nation mourned — and argued. Officials initially claimed Bhutto died after hitting her head on the vehicle’s sunroof. Witnesses and aides insisted she was shot. Her spokeswoman, Sherry Rehman, later described seeing a bullet wound that bled uncontrollably.

Blame quickly pointed toward the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda. Militant leader Baitullah Mehsud was named a key suspect before being killed in a U.S. drone strike. But questions lingered far beyond militant networks.

A United Nations inquiry later concluded that the Pakistani state had “failed profoundly” to protect Bhutto, citing inadequate security and a deeply flawed investigation. Responsibility, the report said, rested with federal and provincial authorities and Rawalpindi police — none of whom acted decisively despite “extraordinary and urgent” threats.

Years passed, justice stalled. Two senior police officers were convicted of negligence and evidence tampering. Five alleged militants were acquitted. Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was charged but never stood trial, dying in exile in 2023.

Bhutto’s death did not end her political legacy. Her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari entered politics days later, invoking her words: “Democracy is the best revenge.”

Seventeen years on, December 27 remains a chilling warning of how power, extremism, and state failure can converge in seconds, forever altering a nation’s destiny.