The US and Russia and on Thursday condemned the killing of Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and called on the authorities to ensure stability in the country.

A US State Department official said, “The attack shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying
to undermine reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan,” the official said.

Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said: “We obviously condemn the attack that shows that there are people out there who are trying to disrupt the building of democracy in Pakistan.”

Russia Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted as saying by news agencies: “We firmly condemn this terrorist act; we express our condolences to Benazir Bhutto’s relatives and loved ones and we hope that the Pakistani leadership will manage to take necessary steps to ensure stability in the country.”

A top Russian diplomat was quoted as saying that the killing of Bhutto could trigger a wave of terror in the country.

“An act of terror is a bad sign,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, Russia’s most senior Asia diplomat, told Itar-Tass news agency.

“We hereby offer our condolences. This will for certain trigger a wave of terrorism.”

Bangladesh on Thursday strongly condemned the “cowardly bomb attack” in Pakistan that claimed the life of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

‘Unpardonable crime’

“It was an unpardonable crime that has shocked the world. The government and people of Bangladesh mourned this tragedy with their Pakistani brethren,” the interim government Chief Fakhruddin Ahmed said in a statement.

An official handout issued on Thursday ight said Ahmed also prayed that the souls of all those who were killed in the blast rest in eternal peace.

The United Kingdom also expressed shock over Bhutto’s assassination.