Islamabad: A dramatic new footage of former premier Benazir Bhutto assassination today lent credence to her Pakistan People's Party's claim that she was shot dead, a claim vehemently contradicted by Pakistan government.

The footage aired by Britain's Channel 4 and subsequently beamed by Pakistani TV channels showed that Bhutto, who stood at the sun-roof of her bulletproof vehicle, had fallen into the car after shots were fired and before a suicide bomber detonated his explosives after the Rawalpindi rally on Dec 27.

This was contrary to the government's account that the force of the blast had thrown Bhutto against a metal lever on the car's sun-roof, causing a fatal skull fracture.

Bhutto's close aide Sherry Rehman and other PPP workers too has dismissed the government's stand, saying their leader had died after being shot in the head.

As the gunman -- a clean-shaven youth wearing a white shirt, dark waistcoat and dark glasses -- opened fire, Bhutto's hair and scarf appeared to rise before she fell into the car.

The shooter was a few metres from Bhutto when he opened fire from the left side of her vehicle. This was followed by the blast. The new video, which came a day after photos emerged of an armed youth shooting Bhutto, will strengthen suspicion that the government was trying to cover up the extent of the lapses in Bhutto's security.

Some people are even comparing the footage to the famed Zapruder film, which captured the last moments before the assassination of US President John F Kennedy in 1963 and sparked numerous conspiracy theories.

Source : PTI