Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that she was deeply shocked and saddened at the news of the cowardly assassination of Benazir Bhutto, a former Prime Minister and a leading contender in Pakistan's forthcoming Parliamentary elections.

"Benazir Bhutto showed great courage in returning to Pakistan to contest the election. She had survived attempts on her life and was acutely aware of the dangers she faced in returning to campaign for the elections," Helen Clark said.

"Her death is a great loss to Pakistan and to the region. My sympathies go out to her immediate family, political colleagues, and to the people of Pakistan for their terrible loss.

"I also join other world leaders in calling for calm and unity in Pakistan in the face of this heinous crime. It is crucial that Benazir Bhutto's death not be invoked as a reason for Pakistan not to return to democracy. The greatest tribute that could be paid to Benazir Bhutto now would be the holding of free and fair elections in Pakistan," Helen Clark said.