By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : Canada joined the international community in condemning the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling it an attack on democracy and stability in the South Asian region. Harper urged Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf not to let the terrorists derail the elections set for Jan 8.
“This cannot be allowed to permit any delay in the return of Pakistan to full democracy…something the people of Pakistan have been waiting for, for far too long.”
He hoped the assassination would not lead to increased instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan where 2,500 Canadian troops, alongside American-led forces, are fighting the Taliban. Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier said the assassination was part of Taliban-led forces’ plan to derail the democratic process in Pakistan.
“Canada condemns in the strongest terms this attack on the restoration of Pakistan’s efforts to return to full democracy. Today’s violence is especially heinous in view of the upcoming elections on January 8, 2008. The anti-democratic intent of the perpetrators could not be more obvious,” he said.
Deepak Obhrai, who as parliamentary secretary to the foreign minister is the topmost South Asian in the current government, told IANS, “We send our condolences to the family of Benazir Bhutto, and the people of Pakistan over this tragic loss. I had the opportunity of meeting Benazir when she visited Toronto last time. She was the voice of reason and decency. She had the welfare of the people of her country uppermost in her mind. Her death is a big blow to Pakistan.”
Opposition Liberal party leader Stephane Dion said the tragedy was a step backward for Pakistan when the nuclear, Islamic nation should have been moving towards democracy.
Dion said, “The assassination of Ms Bhutto puts the security of the entire region at risk and undermines the cause of freedom and democracy in Pakistan. The global community recognizes that extremism and anti-democratic forces in Pakistan, particularly given that it is a nuclear power, threaten the stability of the region and the world.”