By NNN-MAP
Ouarzazate, Morocco : Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has condemned the killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi.
In a condolence message to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf following Thursday’s assassination, King Mohammed VI described Bhutto as “one of illustrious leaders” of Pakistan “both in the Government and in the opposition”.
The king also voiced sadness at the killing of several innocent people in the attack that occurred when the leader of the Pakistani People’s Party was leaving a rally as part of the electoral campaign.
He denounced the killing and the bloodshed it caused, insisting that such acts are forbidden by Islam and are contrary to human rights.
King Mohammed VI sent a separate message to the family of the former Pakistani premier, in which he said that those involved in this killing will be “punished by the law and by the divine justice,” insisting that “violence and terrorism are doomed to failure”.
In another message, the Moroccan government strongly condemned the “criminal act” and re-affirmed its commitment to peace and stability in Pakistan, to the progress of its people as well as to the success of the political process under way.
At least 16 people were killed and more than 60 were injured in the gunfire-and-bomb attack on Bhutto’s rally, police said. The opposition leader, 54, had survived a previous attempt on her life when she returned from exile on Oct 19.
Following this assassination, the Pakistani president announced that the country would fly the flag at half-mast in honour of Bhutto who was the first female leader of an Islamic nation.
“Terrorists are the greatest threat to Pakistan, and we won’t rest till we defeat terrorism,” the president said in a nationwide address.
World leaders have condemned the killing, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who asked Pakistanis to “work together for peace and national unity”, and United States President George W. Bush who called the attack a “cowardly act by murderous extremists”.