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Election day in Pakistan was marked by a car bomb that killed 16 people and a blockade on fuel supplies heading to U.S. forces in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, is set to succeed Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan, according to early unofficial election results.
Fuel cut off from NATO
Zardari’s successor was chosen through both the national parliament and four provincial assemblies; global agencies report he secured 458 out of 702 votes.
The election day chaos also included a move by Pakistani authorities to shut down the main fuel supply route for coalition forces in Afghanistan. This comes as a direct response to U.S. military incursions in the country's northwest earlier this week.
The fuel blockage is happening at Torkhama, the primary crossing point on the border near Peshawar.
"We told them we would take action, and we did. We've halted the oil supply to show them just how serious we are," stated Ahmed Muktar, the Pakistani Defense Minister.
Unrest in Peshawar
Meanwhile, near a security checkpoint outside Peshawar, a suicide car bomb near a marketplace left 16 dead and about 80 injured. Local police say several more people are still trapped under the rubble of two buildings damaged by the blast.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for a recent string of suicide attacks in the northwest, including one explosion at an arms factory that killed 70 people.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, is set to succeed Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan, according to early unofficial election results.
Fuel cut off from NATO
Zardari’s successor was chosen through both the national parliament and four provincial assemblies; global agencies report he secured 458 out of 702 votes.
The election day chaos also included a move by Pakistani authorities to shut down the main fuel supply route for coalition forces in Afghanistan. This comes as a direct response to U.S. military incursions in the country's northwest earlier this week.
The fuel blockage is happening at Torkhama, the primary crossing point on the border near Peshawar.
"We told them we would take action, and we did. We've halted the oil supply to show them just how serious we are," stated Ahmed Muktar, the Pakistani Defense Minister.
Unrest in Peshawar
Meanwhile, near a security checkpoint outside Peshawar, a suicide car bomb near a marketplace left 16 dead and about 80 injured. Local police say several more people are still trapped under the rubble of two buildings damaged by the blast.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for a recent string of suicide attacks in the northwest, including one explosion at an arms factory that killed 70 people.