Meanwhile, In Pakistan...

Last week, the Pakistani government made the claim that Ms. Bhutto died not from the assassin's gunshot, but from "a blow to the head (causing a fractured skull) she suffered while ducking down into the car she was riding in to escape the gunfire." This was met with skepticism by many, and it appears for good reason. Videotape analysis of the attack would seem to confirm the initial reports that she was shot to death.

So why would the government claim otherwise (they've now backed away from those claims in light of the evidence)? It's unclear, but it has conspiracy theorists-- and the many already inclined to distrust/suspect the Musharraf regime-- talking of cover-up.

Adding to all that was this news from Monday-

The day she was assassinated last Thursday, Benazir Bhutto had planned to reveal new evidence alleging the involvement of Pakistan's intelligence agencies in rigging the country's upcoming elections, an aide said Monday.

Bhutto had been due to meet U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., to hand over a report charging that the military Inter-Services Intelligence agency was planning to fix the polls in the favor of President Pervez Musharraf.

Safraz Khan Lashari, a member of the Pakistan People's Party election monitoring unit, said the report was "very sensitive" and that the party wanted to initially share it with trusted American politicians rather than the Bush administration, which is seen here as strongly backing Musharraf....

This report has not surfaced yet (and Bhutto's aides would be wise to get it out there sooner rather than later if they have it), so the Musharraf government is denying the allegations.

The elections themselves have been postponed until February 18, in light of the assassination and resulting turmoil. Whether they will mean anything (rigging or no rigging) with the absence of the dead Bhutto and the boycotting Sharif remains to be seen.