RIYADH/JEDDAH, 28 December 2007 — Citizens, expatriates and government officials across Saudi Arabia yesterday condemned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and described it as shocking, sad and tragic. Some hoped that the Pakistan People’s Party would hold together in its efforts to restore democracy in the country despite the loss. Other weren’t so optimistic.

“Very sad and tragic. It is a very sad day,” said Yasin Alireza, a Saudi businessman. “Her party was the only one that had a mass following across the provinces.” In Riyadh, people from all walks of life condemned the assassination of Benazir and said Pakistan would be plunged again into a period of political uncertainty which could lead to the postponement of elections scheduled next month.

The head of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also condemned in strongest terms the outrageous and brutal murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

In a statement, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu offered his heartfelt condolences to the family members of Benazir and other victims, the members of her PPP party and the people of Pakistan. He characterized the blatant crime, which has preceded the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections as an attack on the stability and peace in Pakistan.

“It is an open provocation aiming at derailing the efforts of unity, reconciliation and democratic process,” he said. While recalling the important leadership position of Pakistan in the Muslim world and its role in the advancement of Islamic causes including promotion of international peace, moderation and combating extremism, the OIC chief called for utmost restraint on the part of all political forces.

Ihsanoglu called on Pakistan and all of its political forces to opt for wisdom, cohesion, unity and dialogue during the current turbulent period. He emphasized that those who are behind this heinous crime were not only enemies of Pakistan but also of the peaceful and tolerant religion of Islam and should promptly be identified and brought to justice.

Muhammed ibn Ahmed Tayeb, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s office in the Makkah region, described Benazir’s murder as an “unfortunate incident” and urged Pakistan’s government and opposition to work together to bring back peace and stability to the country.

“We are confident in the wisdom of the government and opposition parties, which will encourage them to shoulder their responsibility in this sad movement to work for the security and stability of Pakistan,” Tayeb told Arab News. He said Pakistan is a strategic ally of Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Shaker Al-Dahlawi, a senior official at the Ministry of Transport, condemned the terrorist attack and described Benazir’s killers as cruel animals.

He hoped the Pakistan government and people would be able to overcome the present turbulent situation quickly.

“It is a very unfortunate incident for the Islamic world. Benazir was the first woman prime minister in a Muslim country and her assassination shows to what extend modern politics has degenerated,” said Rahmathunnisa, an English teacher at Italian International School. “Treachery and betrayal has been part and parcel of Pakistan politics,” she added.

Describing it as a great tragedy, Javed Iqbal, a lecturer in English at King Saud University, said Benazir’s untimely death marks the “death of democracy” in Pakistan.

“It will act as a destabilizing factor and pose a big challenge for President Pervez Musharraf. Also, it will further strengthen the extremist forces, which the United States wanted the Pakistani government to tackle with a firm hand. With Benazir eliminated, the internal rifts in the PPP could come out in the open and weaken the party.

This, together with Benazir’s recent announcement that she would crack down on the extremists if she came to power, could create a situation in favor of the Muslim League. In fact, its president, Nawaz Sharif, has already indicated that he is in favor of holding a dialogue with extremists in order to win them over on the side of democracy and the rule of law.”

Dilshad Jani, a Benazir supporter in Jeddah, said that the assassination would weaken the country. “A high-level, impartial inquiry should be held and her killers brought to justice,” he added.

“Benazir was a great leader. How many more lives have to be sacrificed for the sake of democracy. I shudder to think of what is lying ahead for the country,” Shafiq Shaikh, a Pakistani civil engineer, said.

Abdul Aziz V.K., vice principal of Al-Hayat International School in Jeddah, blamed colonial forces for all problems in the world. “Colonialists want to create instability and chaos all over the world to protect their interests and make material gains. They will do any heinous crimes for this purpose,” he said. “It was these colonial forces and their agents, not Islamists, behind terrorist attacks all over the world.”

On the other hand, Asad Akram, a Pakistani journalist, said that the assassination is more of a reflection of the state of Pakistani society. “This shows Pakistan does not want liberal, moderate people,” he said. “Benazir wanted to bring the country on the path of democracy and work toward making it a model state. She has sacrificed her life for democracy. Her killers don’t want Pakistan to progress. Her assassination is a big blow to democracy and federalism. She was a symbol of democracy. Liyaquat Bagh has witnessed the killing of other prime ministers including first Premier Liyaquat Ali Khan and now former Premier Benazir.”

Mustafa Hashem, editorial assistant at the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), said that yesterday’s attack shows that hardline policies against extremism will be met with violence.

“The untimely demise of Benazir carries an important political message,” he said. “It shows that a hardline approach in dealing with extremism does not work. One has to follow a carrot-and-stick policy in order to contain extremism. The stick policy hasn’t worked as we saw in Pakistan, where the crackdown on the Lal Masjid madrasa was followed by a surge in violence and bomb attacks. So the best approach is the path of moderation.”

Zammarrud Saifi, a Pakistani poet, called the assassin the “killer of humanity.”

“They have nothing to do with religion or democracy,” he said. “This way they think they can choke the voices of leaders who want to give the country their best. It is a great loss.”

K.K. Kochu Mohammed, chairman of the KPCC party’s minority department and who was in the Kingdom to perform Haj, said Benazir’s death was a punishment for Muslims in the world. “We Muslims are divided and take law in our hands, giving enemies a chance to attack us,” he said.

Srijith Kumar, vice president of Soorya Sargam, said the assassination of Benazir was a big blow to the country’s democratization process. He also expected a quick American intervention in Pakistan in the name of fighting terrorism.

P.J.J. Antony, president of Periyar Toastmasters in Jubail, expressed his shock over the murder and called upon Pakistan’s urbanized middle class to play a vital role in stabilizing their country. “The political tsunami currently ravaging Pakistan will have its impact on other parts of the world especially its neighbors and the countries associated with it. The immediate foreseeable impact will be the violent polarization of Pakistan’s socio-political and religious forces. For the time being Musharraf will find it convenient but in the long run it could aid the destabilizing factors,” Antony said. “So far the educated urbanized middle class of Pakistan has not played a significant role in its politics. It was always the army, American interests and religion. Neither Benazir nor Sharif or Musharraf has any substantial influence on people. The urbanized middle-class hate them all. I hope that and this current chaos would propel the middle class to play a vital role to achieve stability, progress and democracy in Pakistan,” Antony added.

—K.S. Ramkumar, P.K. Abdul Ghafour and Javid Hassan contributed to this report.