ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Friday called Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and condemned attack on her rally. President Musharraf and Ms Benazir are reported to have expressed their resolve to combat extremism and terrorism.

The president, according to an official handout, expressed grief over the deaths of party workers and assured a thorough investigation to bring perpetrators of the heinous crime to book

He said extensive security measures had been taken in consultation with PPP leaders to ensure the safety of Ms Benazir’s procession.

President Musharraf also praised the devotion to duty and sacrifice of several police personnel who lost their lives or were injured in the attack.

The president hoped maturity and restraint would be displayed by all and people would refrain from blame-game unnecessarily. He appealed to the people to facilitate police and the administration in the conduct of the investigation.

President Musharraf and Ms Bhutto expressed their unflinching resolve to fight the scourge of extremism and terrorism.

They agreed that there was a need for the nation to unite to eradicate suicide bombings, terrorism and extremism.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other government leaders also condemned the terrorist attack.

In their messages they said that such acts of terrorism would not deter the government from its resolve to combat extremism and terrorism.

Meanwhile, President Musharraf presided over a high-level meeting to review the security situation in the wake of the terrorist attack on the PPP rally in Karachi and ordered the ministries of defence and interior to redraft the anti-terrorism law.

It is learnt that an ordinance will be promulgated in a couple of days.

The purpose of amending the law, the meeting was told, was to make it more effective to track down elements carrying out terrorist attacks and award stiffer punishment.

President Musharraf directed security agencies to prepare within 48 hours a report on the Karachi attack to fix the responsibility for the attack.

The meeting, according to sources, also discussed a letter written to the president by the PPP chairperson about terrorist groups planning to kill her on her arrival in Pakistan.