President Pervez Musharraf has declared three days national mourning to 'weep for' assassinated former premier Benazir but does not mention whether the tragedy will also force the postponement of early next month's parliamentary polls.
In a brief televised address to the nation hours after Benazir was shot dead in Rawalpindi on Thursday evening, Musharraf urged people to stay peaceful and demonstrate patience and tolerance.
"It is a great tragedy to the nation," the president said, "I can't describe it in words. I appeal to the nation to be peaceful and demonstrate patience and tolerance." "Benazir was killed by a barbarian, beast," Musharraf said as he condemned the murder of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson with whom he sought to share power.
Pakistan's national flag would fly half mast for three days, the president announced after chairing a high level meeting that decided how to deal with riots spread all over Pakistan after the killing of Benazir. A top official told to a private television channel after the meeting that elections' postponement was not part of discussions.
"It's premature to say something at this stage," Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz told Aaj television when asked whether the meeting also pondered upon delaying elections scheduled for January 8. Musharraf said terrorists were behind Benazir's killing. "This cruelty is the work of those terrorists whom we are fighting with." He added, "Pakistan has the greatest threat from them." He vowed to continue fighting terrorists.
"I want to express a resolve and I need support from nation from this. We will not sit with peace until we eliminate these terrorists and uproot them," the president said. "This is what the nation's survival is in," he insisted and then sounded a warning, "otherwise; they are biggest hurdle in Pakistan's march to prosperity."