With Pakistan reeling from the assassination of the top challenger to its president, Rep. Elijah Cummings is calling on the federal government to provide guidance needed for a fair election.
“This tragic event deals a serious blow to the political atmosphere within Pakistan, with elections just around the corner,” the Maryland Democrat said in a statement. “It is critical that we ensure that the Pakistani government is receiving proper guidance on how to move forward from this point, particularly with regard to conserving the stable, democratically led government that is key to succeeding in the fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto ? the nation?s first female prime minister ? was assassinated Thursday by an attacker who shot her after a campaign rally and then blew himself up.
The death of 54-year-old Bhutto stoked new chaos across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
At least 20 others were killed in the attack on the rally for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections.
President Pervez Musharraf blamed Islamic extremists for her death and said he would redouble his efforts to fight them.
“This is the work of those terrorists with whom we are engaged in war,” he said in a nationally televised speech. “I have been saying that the nation faces the greatest threats from these terrorists.”
President Bush strongly condemned the attack “by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan?s democracy.”
A White House spokesman said Bush spoke briefly by phone with Musharraf.
The United States gives more money annually to Pakistan than any other country: $200 million a year since 2004 as part of a $3 billion aid package.
Cummings said he is urging Bush to “conduct better oversight of our continued financial assistance to Pakistan during this tumultuous time.”
Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Bhutto a “courageous example to those of us who believe in unfettered participatory democracy and reform.”
“The cowards who orchestrated these atrocities must be brought to justice and the violence must come to an end.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
