New Delhi, December 28
India was unable to send its representatives for slain Pakistan leader Benazir Bhutto’s funeral today because of the explosive situation in the neighbouring country.

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee was expected to lead an official delegation to Larkana for the funeral but Islamabad advised world leaders to refrain from making this trip in view of the grim security scenario in the country.

However, an Indian delegation is expected to travel to Pakistan at a later date as a public memorial service is being planned for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister.

New Delhi was very keen that the country should be represented at Benazir Bhutto’s funeral to signal its solidarity with democratic forces that the assassinated leader represented.

Since India could not send its representatives to Pakistan today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited the Pakistan High Commission and signed the condolence register expressing sorrow over Bhutto’s killing.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also convened an all-party meeting with the dual purpose of briefing all political leaders about the unfolding situation in the region and to send out a message to the democratic forces in Pakistan that India’s political fraternity is with them in their hour of grief. The all-party meeting also adopted a unanimous resolution condemning Benazir’s assassination and said it will fight the scourge of terrorism unitedly.

Among those who attended the meeting included BJP leaders L.K.Advani and Jaswant Singh, Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav, CPI’s A.B. Bardhan, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury and Samajwadi Party’s Shahid Siddiqi.

Although India has not been formally briefed by Pakistan about its internal developments, national security adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan gave his assessment of the situation to the all-party meeting. Admitting that India has to be vigilant about the developing situation in its neighbourhood, he also assured the gathering that all possible steps were being taken to deal with any contingency.

He said the Centre had spoken to the chief ministers of the border states and forces had been placed on alert. Narayanan said there was a fear that militants could cross over to India in case they are under pressure in Pakistan. The NSA had earlier briefed senior BJP leader president L.K. Advani separately on the developments.

In his message, the Prime Minister hailed Bhutto as South Asia's outstanding political leader committed to the cause of democracy. “It was with the deepest sense of horror and sorrow that I learnt of the tragic demise of Bhutto. In her sad and untimely demise, Pakistan and South Asia have lost an outstanding political leader who was passionately committed to the cause of moderation, democracy and peace and friendship between our two countries,” he wrote in the condolence register. Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed similar sentiments in her message while the Congress Working Committee adopted a unanimous resolution mourning Benazir Bhutto’s untimely death.