The assassination of pro-democracy reformer and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has threatened to thrust Pakistan into severe civil unrest and has everyone asking one question: Who is behind this attack?

Bhutto’s supporters seem to be reflexively laying blame on their dictatorial rival, Pervez Musharraf. Yet despite the fact that Bhutto was threatening Musharraf’s hold on power, it is unlikely that he would think an assassination would make his position better, rather than worse. The real winners here are the Islamic extremists who can now hope to take advantage of the destabilized political situation. Al-Qaeda already tried to kill Bhutto once and they have also claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack (Hat tip: Say Anything):

A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda terrorist network has claimed responsibility for the death on Thursday of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

?We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahadeen,? Al-Qaeda’s commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location, speaking in faltering English. Al-Yazid is the main al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan.

It is believed that the decision to kill Bhutto, who is the leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was made by al-Qaeda No. 2, the Egyptian doctor, Ayman al-Zawahiri in October.

Death squads were allegedly constituted for the mission and ultimately one cell comprising a defunct Lashkar-i-Jhangvi?s Punjabi volunteer succeeded in killing Bhutto.

If Bhutto’s supporters can set aside their anger at Musharraf, some of it certainly justified, and realize they share a common enemy in radical Islamic jihad, they can perhaps make some headway in advancing the ideals Bhutto’s represented. At the least, it would go a long way in preventing the region from sliding further away from their reformist vision as it would if radicals gained power.

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