World leaders condemned the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday and warned that extremists must not be allowed to destabilise the country ahead of next month's vote.
Governments world-wide urged Pakistani leaders to work to maintain calm, as President Pervez Musharraf appealed to the nation to remain peaceful "so that the evil designs of terrorists can be defeated," state TV said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov warned of the attack's possible repercussions.
"It will probably unleash a wave of terrorism," Losyukov was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying. "We think this is a dangerous development that will add to the instability ahead of elections in Pakistan," Losyukov said. The White House, treading a delicate line in its dealings with Pakistan, a key ally in its war on terror, condemned the "acts of violence".
Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the attack "shows that there are people out there who are trying to disrupt the building of democracy in Pakistan". Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukehrjee expressed "shock and horror" at the assassination, which occurred at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the murder was an act of "immense brutality" by the "enemies" of Pakistan and of peace. The European Commission called the killing "an attack against democracy and against Pakistan."
"We hope that Pakistan will remain firmly on track for a return to democratic civilian rule," Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "deeply shocked" by Benazir's death and called for "restraint but also unity."
"In targeting Benazir Bhutto extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan," he added in a statement. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi condemned the "fanaticism" that caused the attack and called for "the difficult path to peace" to continue.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the assassination an "odious act", while the Vatican said it was "terrible and tragic". Iran urged authorities to track down the "terrorists" responsible for the killing.
Japan said the attack was "absolutely unacceptable." Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero added his voice to the condemnations, expressing his "determination to cooperate closely with Pakistan in consolidating democracy and eradicating terrorism."
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