Benazir Bhutto shot to death in Pakistan

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who ended a long self-imposed exile in October, died Thursday of gunshot wounds following a political rally.

A suicide bomber then blew himself up, killing 30 more people and injuring dozens, various media reported.

Bhutto, 54, was struck in the neck and elsewhere as she stood in her limousine, waving goodbye to supporters following a rally in Rawalpindi. She had just called for an end to Islamic violence.

"The man first fired at her vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up," police officer Mohammad Shahid told the Hindustan Times. The Pak Tribune reported Bhutto was further injured in the suicide blast.

Rawalpindi, which has suffered other bomb attacks recently, was Pakistan's capital before nearby Islamabad took its place.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf went on television to appeal for calm "so that the evil designs of terrorists can be defeated" and declared three days of mourning.

Pakistan's Dawn newspaper said the bombing was carried out by a suicide driver in a car.

The Bhutto attack was the second of the day against opposition politicians. Gunfire erupted at a rally at Islamabad airport for former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, killing four people, Press Trust of India reported.