May 11, 2002	Saturday	Safar 27, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, May 10: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday held separate telephonic conversations with President Gen Pervez Musharraf and condemned the heinous act of terrorism in Karachi in which 15 people, including 11 French nationals, were killed.

Blair and Powell expressed their complete solidarity with Pakistan and reiterated their solid support for Gen Pervez Musharraf’s policies.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the May 8 bomb blast was an act of savagery against two coalition partners, and the United Kingdom and the world at large had widely condemned it.

He said the United Kingdom stands firmly with Pakistan in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Secretary Colin Powell praised the firm resolve of the government of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to deal with the terrorists and extremist elements with an iron hand.

Powell said no act of terrorism would go undetected and unpunished, and efforts would continue to bring the perpetrators to justice.

President Musharraf said that the government of Pakistan remained committed to the fight against terrorism, intolerance and extremism.

He said the gruesome act of terrorism in Karachi could not weaken our resolve to deal with the criminal elements firmly.

The president said it was a matter of shock and grief that lives of 11 French nationals and four others were lost in the Karachi blast and added that investigations were under way to unearth the perpetrators and award them exemplary punishment. —APP