Mr Sher Mohammad, 23, was among many supporters who trekked hundreds of miles to reach Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. 'She gave her life for the people of this country, so we can walk a few miles to pay homage to her dignity,' said Mr Mohammad, whose feet were swollen from the trip. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH (Pakistan) - MORE than 100,000 grieving Pakistanis thronged the tomb of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto on Saturday, mourning their beloved leader one year after her assassination.
A sea of mourners, some wailing and beating their chests in a wrenching outpouring of emotion, flooded through security checkpoints into the graveyard in rural southern Garhi Khuda Bakhsh for the commemoration.
UN's Ban hopes for inquiry in Bhutto assassination
UNITED NATIONS - SECRETARY-General Ban Ki Moon hopes a UN inquiry into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto can be set up in the near future, the United Nations said on Friday.
A statement issued through Mr Ban's spokesman to mark the first aniversary of Ms Bhutto's killing said he was committed to helping Pakistan's search for 'truth and justice' in the case.
But thick fog stranded tens of thousands on the roads leading into the area, prompting authorities to delay the start of the proceedings due at 9.00am (12pm Singapore time), as they made special arrangements to bring mourners to the site.
Ms Bhutto, 54, was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007 in a gun and suicide attack at a campaign rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, just two months after returning to Pakistan from exile to vie for a third term in power.
Her shocking death threw the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation into chaos, sparking violence and leading to months of political turmoil that ended in September when her widower, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, claimed the presidency.
'In the tradition of a true Bhutto, she faced certain death rather than abandon her principles or the people,' Mr Zardari said in a message to the nation to mark the anniversary.
'The tyrants and the killers have killed her but they shall never be able to kill her ideas, which drove and inspired a generation to lofty aims.'
The masses travelled by train, bus, truck, car, bicycle and even on foot to mourn the charismatic, Oxford-educated Bhutto, the first woman to lead a Muslim nation who was hailed in the West as a face of moderation.
Some slept on Friday night in the open in near-freezing temperatures.
Mr Tariq Waseem, a 25-year-old student from south-western Baluchistan province, walked about 400 kilometres over 10 days with about a dozen friends in order to be at Saturday's event. But unlike his friends, he walked barefoot.
'These are not painful,' he told AFP, pointing with pride at blisters covering his soles. 'These are a gift from my martyred leader.'
Senior local police official Khadim Hussain Rind put the number of mourners at 100,000, but said he expected far more would reach the site later.
Ceremonies are expected to culminate with special prayers at 5.20pm (8.20pm Singapore time) - about the time Ms Bhutto was attacked.
About 7,000 police and paramilitary rangers joined by ruling party workers and volunteers have fanned out around the tomb to protect Mr Zardari, who has said he too is a target for extremists like those who killed Ms Bhutto.
'We do not rule out any threat and we have done all things possible to maintain peace,' Mr Rind, one of the point men on security for the event, told AFP.
A special wall has been erected around the mausoleum as part of a raft of precautions taken to safeguard Mr Zardari. Closed-circuit cameras have been installed, and mourners were required to pass through metal detectors.
All entry and exit routes were cordoned off.
Both Mr Zardari and the United Nations said they hoped a UN investigation would soon be launched into Ms Bhutto's killing. Pakistani and US officials have pinned the blame on Taleban commander Baitullah Mehsud, but he denies any involvement.
One year on, Pakistan's reverence for Ms Bhutto continues unabated - television programmes about her life have been running for days, and the government has issued a 10-rupee coin and stamps bearing her portrait.
Hundreds of vendors did a brisk business selling Bhutto memorabilia - posters, photographs and recordings of her speeches - ahead of the ceremony.
The government has declared Saturday a national holiday in Ms Bhutto's honour, and events were scheduled nationwide.
Ms Bhutto is buried alongside her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former premier who was hanged in 1979 by the country's military regime. Her brothers Shahnawaz and Murtaza, who died in violent circumstances, are also in the tomb. -- AFP
