By NNN-Bernama
Melbourne : Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has condemned the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, 54, who was shot by an assassin who also blew himself up, killing about 20 others, at an election rally in Rawalpindi.
Rudd said Bhutto was campaigning “resolutely” for democracy in the lead up to the country’s Jan 8 polls.
“Despite a previous attempt to assassinate her on her return to Pakistan in October and the shocking loss of over a hundred lives in that attempt, Benazir Bhutto refused to bow to intimidation and the continuing threat to her life,” Rudd said in a statement.
“Throughout her life, Benazir Bhutto showed great courage and defiance in her resistance to extremism.”
Rudd said the people behind Bhutto’s murder must be stopped and called for a return to democracy. “The extremists behind this attack cannot be allowed to succeed,” he said.
“I urge all parties in Pakistan to act with restraint and to work for a return to a peaceful democratic process. It is my hope that a democratic Pakistan will be Benazir Bhutto’s legacy.”