Advani expresses shock at Bhutto's assassination

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Thursday expressed shock at the assassination of former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto and said the "talibanisation of Pakistan" is a threat to India's security.
   
"The news from Rawalpindi has come as a shock to me. The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a tall leader who for years had been struggling for restoration of democracy in Pakistan has fallen victim to a terrorist attack," he told.

"I have a feeling that the kind of talibanisation of Pakistan that is taking place is a threat to India's security also," Advani, who shared a warm relationship with Bhutto, said.
   
The BJP leader said he spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is in Goa. "I shared my concern and he said we shall meet immediately after his return," Advani said.
   
He said the Prime Minister told him he would direct the National Security Adviser to brief him and his party about the development.

"I also expressed my concern about the goings-on in Nepal, where Maoists seem to have gained an upper hand. We will discuss both these issues," he said.
   
"We strongly condemn the dastardly attack. I condemn the Jehadis who are responsible for this," Advani said.
   
The former Deputy Prime Minister said he also spoke to the Pakistan High Commissioner here.
   
Asked about the implications of the attack, he said Pakistan's chaotic situation is a matter of concern not only for Pakistan but also for India's security.
   
"You cannot afford to be soft on terror," Advani said.

Unless terrorists, operating in India or from bases in any of the neighbouring countries, are made to realise that both government and society have adopted a zero tolerance to terror, the menace cannot be tackled, Advani said.
   
Advani also spoke to Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari and offered his condolences.

"Bhutto has become a martyr to the cause of the defence of democracy and the global war on jehadi terrorism," he said.
   
During the telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister, Advani asked him to convene a meeting to brief Opposition leaders about the "deeply worrisome" developments in Pakistan.
   
The "enormously sinister implications" of Bhutto's assassination for India in its fight against jehadi terrorism cannot be overstated, he said.

"The fact that she fell to the bullet of the assassins in the midst of national elections in Pakistan should leave no one in doubt that Pakistan is not only in the throes of instability but a far more dangerous process of Talibanisation," he added.

Recalling his personal association with Bhutto, Advani said, "She was a friend of our family and she sincerely desired friendly and peaceful relations between India and Pakistan."
   
"I had first met Bhutto 17 years back when she had come to Delhi to attend Rajiv Gandhi's funeral. Since then, whenever she has come to India, she had invariably met me and discussed with me Indo-Pak relations and the problem of terrorism," he said.
   
Advani had telephoned Bhutto immediately after she survived an assassination bid on her return to Pakistan after in exile for several years.
   
"Religious extremists had made their intention known on that day itself, since her courageous return to Pakistan coincided with a terrorist attack in which more than 125 persons were killed," he added.
   
BJP President Rajnath Singh echoed Advani's views that the developments in Pakistan was a concern for India.
   
"India being the neighbour of Pakistan cannot remain untouched about the developments there. It is a concern for India too," he said.