RIYADH/JEDDAH, 20 October 2007 — Saudis and expatriates across the Kingdom condemned Thursday’s explosions in Karachi that killed 138 people.

Pakistanis strongly condemned the assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. The general feeling in the community is that the bomb blasts not only underline the challenge that extremists pose to the country but also cast a shadow on the coming elections due in January.

Speaking to Arab News after a press conference, Mohammed Riaz Rathore, chairman, Pakistan People’s Party (Riyadh chapter), described the bomb attack as an organized attempt to “derail” Pakistan’s effort to restore democracy in the country.

“We don’t know who was behind the attack. But what we do know is that it represents the dark and evil forces of Pakistan. It’s a great setback to Mohtarma’s (Benazir’s) effort to bring democracy to our country.”

Asked if the attack symbolizes staunch opposition from the people to anyone seen as a close ally of the US, Rathore said that it only underlines attempts by hostile forces to prevent Pakistan from taking the path of democracy and progress. “The extent of the warm welcome that she received both in the city and the rural areas makes it clear that her popularity flows from the grassroots level and has nothing to do with her being an ally of the US.”

Javed Iqbal, an English lecturer at King Saud University, said that there is an urgent need to organize a round-table conference that should bring together all political leaders, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is in exile. He said that Islamabad joined the war on terror not because of the US but because it is in the interest of Pakistan. He said that extremist forces have blocked all attempts to reform the education system. “So the battle is really between the forces of conservatism and progress.”

Dr. Riad Javed Khwaja, secretary-general of Pakistan’s Doctor Forum, said the bomb attack has created political uncertainty in Pakistan. “We still don’t know what verdict of the Supreme Court will be in the case of President Pervez Musharraf. Now we have this bomb blast. The political future of the country looks uncertain,” he added.

“Whatever one’s political opinions, the way the blasts took the lives of innocent people during Benazir’s parade was heinous and outrageous,” a Saudi citizen said. “Merely condemning such madness is not enough. The perpetrators should be brought to book and severely punished so that nobody else takes recourse to such un-Islamic, unpardonable acts,” Abdul Aziz Marzouki, a Jeddah businessman who has been dealing with Pakistani exporters for over a decade, said.

Dr. Sarmad Salim of King Abdul Aziz University Hospital said he was saddened by the blast footage while watching a TV news channel on Thursday. “Whatever one’s grouse, whatever one’s political stand, what has happened is not good for Pakistan and Pakistanis, and the country’s image has suffered. So many innocent lives have been lost for no reason,” he bemoaned.

“It’s a reflection of the overall political situation in Pakistan,” S.M. Arshad, Jeddah-based corporate manager of an electronics retail management company, said. “It has got a lot to do with Pakistan’s foreign relationship that is intertwined with the internal affairs of the country. It also reflects the ideological gap between different political elements that is a major contributory factor in the political turmoil.”

Nayab Gohar, Jeddah-based managing partner of International Trademark World, said: “It was brutal. Whoever has done is not gaining (from it). There is no goal he is achieving. On the contrary, fellow citizens got killed. Government is not doing its job properly. If it can’t give proper protection, what else it is supposed to do. Benazir should have heeded the government’s warning. This is something that will remain etched in the minds of every Pakistani for the rest of his life, he said, adding that “everybody including Benzair and government are equally to blame.”

Shahid Haider, senior account director at Y&R, said: “Whatever has happened is bad. The mob following the convoy was uncontrollable. Security warnings were not heeded by Benazir and her followers. The parade should have ended before night as there are a lot of enemies to take advantage of darkness to carry out such dastardly acts. Instead of showing street power, Benazir should have spoken to her followers through private TV channels.”

Muhammd Younus, an electrical shop assistant in downtown Balad, echoed Benazir’s statement that the explosions and the consequent loss of lives won’t prevent her from leading the Pakistan People’s Party into the country’s parliamentary elections.

“The sacrifices of people who died won’t go to waste, she will return to power for the third time as the country’s prime minister,” he said. The explosions in the country’s largest city came hours after Benazir arrived in Karachi following eight years of self-imposed exile to lead the PPP in elections due by Jan. 15.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since President Musharraf took over in 1999.