Bhutto´s funeral held in homedown

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-29-2007 09:03

As the body of Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest, her country was plunged into into crisis. Bhutto's coffin is draped in the flag of her Pakistan People's Party.

Supporters of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto surround an ambulance carrying her coffin in Ghari Khuda Baksh Friday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Hundreds of thousands of mourners packed the streets along the burial site, paying their last respect to the former prime minister.

Bhutto was buried in the family graveyard alongside her father, who was also a popular former prime minister.

54-year-old Bhutto was killed on Thursday evening. The suicide bombing attack took place during an election rally in Rawalpindi, some 30 kilometers south of Islamabad.

Accompanied by her husband and three children, Bhutto's coffin arrived in her hometown of Naudero early on Friday.

Asif Ali Zardari(3C-with white cap), husband of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto, lowers her coffin into the grave after her funeral prayer at Ghari Khuda Baksh Friday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has announced three days of mourning. Schools and banks will also be closed. Bhutto's party says it will observe 40 days of mourning.

Meanwhile, Bhutto's assassination has sparked riots and protests across Pakistan. Police say seventeen people, including three policemen, have been killed.

The government is pleading for calm and has put the country's security forces on the highest alert.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei