Benazir Bhutto's party today rejected the official account of her death as “ nonsense” and accused the government of a cover-up, as many Pakistani cities remained virtually shut down in mourning.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman to lead a Muslim country, is a serious blow to Pakistan's prospects for democracy and, indeed, its viability as a state.

I can never forget the date of February 27, 2002. Dubai witnessed a historic accident that day. Yours truly landed in the emirate from India on February 27 for my new job with Khaleej Times. But there's another, more serious reason why I consider Feb 27, 2002 a turning point in the history of the 21st century.