New Delhi, December 27
The President and the Prime Minister have expressed shock over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Expressing “deep shock and grief” on the tragic news of assassination of Bhutto, President Pratibha Patil said India would stand with the people of Pakistan in the hour of grief and tragedy.
In a statement issued by Rashrapati Bhawan here tonight, the President said, “It is a tragedy for the people of Pakistan to lose a leader of her stature in her prime. This tragedy underscores the menace that terrorism poses to us and to the stability of our society. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a tragedy not just for Pakistan but for our entire
region.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the incident was a reminder of the common dangers faced in the sub-continent. In a statement from Goa, the PM said, “The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region cowardly faces the acts of terrorism and that there is a need to eradicate this dangerous threat.”
Dr Singh said the people of Pakistan had suffered a grievous blow. He said he was deeply shocked and horrified to hear of the heinous assassination of Bhutto.
The Prime Ministers’s media advisor Sanjaya Baru quoted him as saying, “Bhutto was no ordinary political leader but one who left a deep imprint on her time and age.”
In a statement issued here, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi said, “The news of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has deeply shocked and saddened us all. Her life’s unrealised potential has been brutally cut short.”
She said, “For the people of Pakistan, it is a great tragedy to lose a popular and charismatic leader at this critical juncture.”
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is holding a special meeting here tomorrow to adopt a resolution to condole her death.
Expressing shock over the assassination, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said the Talibanisation of Pakistan was a threat to the India’s security. “The news from Rawalpindi has come as shock to me. The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a tall leader, who for years had been struggling for restoration of democracy in Pakistan had fallen victim to the terrorist attack. We strongly condemn the dastardly attack,” he said. Advani said he spoke to Manmohan Singh, who was in Goa.
