By Paras Ramoutar, IANS
Port of Spain : Shocked by the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Pakistanis living in Trinidad and Tobago expressed concern about the security situation in the country.
Pakistanis living and working here remained glued to television and radio sets Thursday as news of the veteran politician’s grisly death trickled in.
Bhutto, 54, was killed Thursday minutes after she addressed a huge election rally at Liaqat Bagh in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
Maulana Ahamad Sulaimani, Imam of the San Fernando ASJA mosque, said: “I am very sorry, this is a great loss to Pakistan. I was so shocked when I heard the news. I don’t know what to say. She was a brilliant politician. I cannot believe that after 60 years of independence, this is where my country has reached.”
He expressed belief that Pakistan is a strong nation and there would be other leaders to take the country through this unfortunate event.
Muhammad Saqib, a Pakistani geophysicist, felt that general elections scheduled for Jan 8 should be postponed. He said Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was one of the main opposition parties in the country and should be given a chance to revive itself after the tragic incident.
Muhammad Jahanzeb-Khan, another Pakistani, said: “From an image point of view, this is very bad for the country. It also demonstrates the serious security problems in Pakistan. There is a strong feeling of uncertainty in the country.”
The government of Trinidad and Tobago issued a statement condemning Bhutto’s assassination and reaffirming its unwavering commitment to international efforts for eradication of terrorism.
Former deputy prime minister and now leader of the Congress of the People (COP), Winston Dookeran said: “She was a democrat in the true sense of the word and wanted to eradicate poverty and ensure that the people of her land enjoy the full flowering of democracy, a journey to which she had embarked upon.”