Wednesday
03Sep2008
Pakistan PM Escapes Assassination Attempt
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 14:41  |
| Wed 3 September 2008 16:33 |
Gunmen opened fire Wednesday on the motorcade of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in what Pakistani officials said was an assassination attempt, but it is unclear if the Premier was present at the time of the attack. Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman told CNN that Gilani was not in the car when the convoy was struck by bullets in Rawalpindi but a statement from Gilani's office said "the Prime Minister and all the members of his motorcade remained unharmed." The prime minister's spokesman, Zahid Bashir said the issue would be clarified once the investigation was concluded. The convoy was on its way to an airport when it came under fire from a hilltop, it was reported. In December, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a political rally in Rawalpindi. Gilani served as a government minister under Bhutto's government, and currently represents her Pakistan People's Party (PPP). The assassination attempt against Gilani comes amid mounting international concern about the stability of Pakistan, a vital ally in the US-led "war on terror" against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. |
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