RAWALPINDI — 2007 · Unsolved Case
The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
On 27 December 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi; a number of other people also died in the attack. The case was the subject of four separate investigations, one of them conducted by the United Nations. The UN report characterized the hosing-down of the crime scene shortly after the attack and the fact that no autopsy was permitted as a severe loss of evidence. Following a ten-year trial, five people accused of involvement in the attack were acquitted for lack of evidence; only two police officials were sentenced to 17 years in prison each for 'improperly handling the crime scene.' Who planned the attack was never legally established; the case has remained pending before a higher court for years.
- Date
- 2007
- Place
- Liaquat Bagh, Pakistan, Rawalpindi, PK
- Category
- Unsolved Case
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 33.5951, 73.0169 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 2007The attack took place (December 27)
- 2010The UN investigative report was published
- 2017Five defendants were acquitted; two police officials received 17 years each
Sources
- Court Records
- Official Report
- Contemporary Press Archive
Source grade C: no linked source yet; details rely on the general press archive. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.