US President George W Bush on Thursday strongly condemned the 'cowardly' assassination of Benazir Bhutto and urged the key US ally to stay on the democratic path. "The US strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," Bush told reporters hours after Benazir was killed in Rawalpindi.
"Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice," he said at his ranch in Texas where he is spending the end-of-year holidays. "We stand with the people of Pakistan in that struggle against the forces of terror and extremism."
Bush called on Pakistanis to stay on the path of democracy after their President Pervez Musharraf, ended six weeks of emergency rule ahead of elections that are due to be held in the country on January 8. "We urge them to honour Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with a democratic process," he said.