UNITED NATIONS, Dec 27: The United Nations Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned on Thursday the killing of Benazir Bhutto and urged all Pakistanis to show restraint and maintain stability.

“The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist suicide attack by extremists” which killed Ms Bhutto and numerous other people in Rawalpindi, said a statement read out by Italy’s UN envoy Marcello Spatafora, the council chair this month.

Earlier Ban also strongly condemned what he called a “heinous crime” and “an assault on stability in Pakistan and its democratic processes.” Ms Bhutto had just addressed a campaign rally for the January 8 parliamentary elections when an assassin shot her in the neck before blowing himself up, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 50, according to Pakistani authorities.

In its non-binding statement adopted after an emergency closed-door session, the council paid tribute to Ms Bhutto, a former prime minister, and called “on all Pakistanis to exercise restraint and maintain stability in the country.” It expressed its deep sympathy to the victims of “this heinous act of terrorism and their families” and underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors to justice.

Spatafora, who took the initiative of calling the emergency session, told reporters that the council sought to send “a strong message” condemning “an unacceptable act” and paying tribute to Ms Bhutto.

United States Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad called the slaying “a great tragedy” because Ms Bhutto “stood for moderation, for rule of law, for democracy in her country.” “I knew Benazir Bhutto quite well,” the US envoy told reporters ahead of the council meeting. “She’s a friend of mine. I was very saddened by the news.”—AFP