KARACHI: Widespread condemnation, sorrow over Benazir’s death
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 27: The murder of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto has been termed by leaders of different political parties as a great loss to the nation and to democracy. Expressing heartfelt grief, sorrow and solidarity with the aggrieved family, friends and Ms Bhutto’s supporters, they said they had no words to condemn this dastardly attack, which is no less than the worst tragedy in the history of the country.
Veteran politician Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari and former chief of the National Democratic Party said that not only was this a great loss to the nation but also for democracy.
He said that as he knew Ms Bhutto since her childhood, it was also his personal loss, which had shocked him so much that he had no words to explain and condemn it.
Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) chief Pir Pagara expressed heartfelt sorrow and termed it a tragic event.
Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief Prof Ghafoor Ahmad said the event was the worst in the history of Pakistan, which has plunged the country into a serious crisis.
“When it was well known to the authorities that her life was in danger, what type of security was provided to her by the government?” he asked.
Sindh caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Abdul Qadir Halepota also expressed grief over the death of Ms Bhutto and said that her services for Pakistan would always be remembered. “The vacuum which has been created with her martyrdom could hardly be filled”, he added.
National People’s Party chairman Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, who is also a former caretaker prime minister, said that the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination was a great shock to him.
“I knew her when she was only three or four years old. Everybody knew very well that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not only a very close friend of mine but also like a brother, as well as being my leader,” he said.
“During the dictatorial rule and martial law of Gen Ziaul Haq he (ZAB) faced the situation bravely and accepted Shahadat rather than surrendering.
“Similarly,” he said, “Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto knew very well that her life was in danger, which she had expressed a number of times,” referring to the plots to assassinate her. “But like her father, she also faced them bravely for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan,” he added.
Announcing that his party would observe one week of mourning, he said that “I have no words to condemn this cowardly and cruel act. This has created a chaotic situation and will certainly affect the stability of the country,” he added. “I offer our heartfelt condolences to the aggrieved family, all friends and admirers of Benazir Bhutto, particularly Asif Ali Zardari.”
The Empower Pakistan Forum Convener Ali Ashraf Khan termed it a target killing and a conspiracy against the federation and the state.
Awami National Party Sindh chapter President Shahi Syed said that it was a murder of humanity and democracy. He said whether one agreed with her politics or not, today 160 million people were grieved on her murder.
PML-N additional information secretary Sardar Rahim said it was a grave tragedy and a deliberate attempt to destabilize Pakistan and a conspiracy to disintegrate the country.
Markazi Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan Deputy Secretary-General Tariq Mehboob said Ms Bhutto’s murder was a conspiracy against the country and democracy.
Pakistan Workers’ Party Central Vice-President Yusuf Masti Khan said it was a tragic event and termed the assassination an assault on democracy.
SHCBA condemns
Sindh High Court Bar Association President Rasheed A. Razvi has called for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf for his regime’s failure to protect the life of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.
“The assassination exposed Gen (retd) Musharraf’s exaggerated claims of success in the ‘war on terror’ which, according to him, required his continued stewardship of the country’s affairs. If the seven-year-old war against terrorists had enabled them to carry out a successful attack on the leader of the country’s largest party at a time when it was poised for the polls, the president has no moral justification to stay in office,” he said.
He wondered what the country’s intelligence agencies, which were also given to making tall claims, were doing to protect the lives of moderate politicians.
HRCP grieved
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressing concern and grief over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, has demanded that an inquiry into the tragedy be carried out by an international team.
In a statement issued here on Thursday evening, the HRCP governing body has held the government and all the law enforcement authorities under it responsible for the killing.
It noted that in spite of the suicide attack on the former prime minister’s convey in the city in October when she had returned to the country after a several year stay overseas and her frequent concerns of safety communicated to the authorities, adequate protection was not provided.
The HRCP lauded the courage of the late PPP leader, who, in spite of threats to her life, continued to address public rallies to be close to the people. “She demonstrated in life and in death her commitment to the revival of the democratic process in Pakistan,” the statement said.
