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Friday, Dec 28, 2007
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Political parties express shock, dismay

New Delhi Bureau

Negation of democracy: Congress; big test for peace: Vajpayee; CPI(M) expresses outrage

Talibanisation of Pakistan a threat to India,
says Advani
An attempt to destabilise Pakistan: Hurriyat

NEW DELHI: Political parties have expressed shock and dismay over the assassination of the former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, on Thursday.

While the Congress described the killing as a “negation of democracy,” as the assassination took place weeks before elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the assassination and expressed concern not only over how the incident would affect Pakistan but also India in its immediate neighbourhood.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said there were “forces [in Pakistan], which are seeking to destabilise Pakistan and not allowing the transition to democracy to succeed … These forces must be thwarted.”

The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, described the killing as “big challenge for democracy and peace.” He said, “The challenge is not only for Pakistan. We have to fight it out together.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani said “the Talibanisation of Pakistan” was a threat to India. He said he spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was in Goa, and he was told that the National Security Adviser would brief him and other political leaders on the developments in Pakistan. He condemned the ‘jehadis’ responsible for the killing.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, “Indian democracy abhors the cult of violence. This is negation of democracy itself. She was a charismatic leader whose unrealised potential has been cruelly cut short.”

Instability and violence could not be good for Pakistan, as indeed for the subcontinent.

“We hope and trust that the appropriate agencies of Pakistan will get to the root of this most unfortunate incident,” he said.

The CPI(M) conveyed its heartfelt condolences to Ms. Bhutto’s family and to the people of Pakistan and expressed “shock and outrage” at the “dastardly assassination.”

Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja feared that the assassination would complicate matters in Pakistan. There were clearly forces which did not want any form of democracy in Pakistan, he added.

BJP president Rajnath Singh expressed his sympathy and offered condolences to Ms. Bhutto’s family, especially mentioning her children, while the former External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, spoke admiringly of Ms. Bhutto’s courage and determination to participate in the democratic process although she was aware of grave threat to her life.

“She had come back to participate in the democratic process in Pakistan despite resistance from the establishment,” he said.

While Mr. Rajnath Singh was worried about the impact of instability in Pakistan on India, Mr. Jaswant Singh added he was “disappointed” at the “timidity” of the Government of India that continued to maintain “silence over serious events in our neighbourhood.”

“Act of cowardice”

PTI reports from Srinagar:

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, termed the assassination an act of cowardice.

“It is an act of cowardice which should be condemned by one and all in the strongest possible words,” the National Conference patron said. He appealed to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and all political parties of that country to save Pakistan by joining hands and fight terrorism.

The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front also condemned the assassination.

“We strongly condemn the killing of Benazir Bhutto ... it is an attempt to destabilise Pakistan,” Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said. Describing it as a sad day for the people of Pakistan and also for the people of Kashmir, he said Ms. Bhutto was a friend of Kashmir and Kashmiris.

JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik said the former Prime Minister was a representative of a large section of Pakistani society. Whosoever did it, could neither claim to be part of human society nor a good Muslim, he added.

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