Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has issued a statement about the deadly explosions in Karachi timed to the arrival of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Lantos met with Bhutto during her recent visit to Washington before returning to Pakistan. 

“The attack directed at former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her supporters was absolutely abhorrent, Lantos said. Miraculously, she escaped the malicious attempt to silence her, but over a hundred innocent Pakistanis were not so fortunate and have paid for this act of cowardly terrorism – many with their lives. I wholeheartedly condemn the perpetrators of this reprehensible act of violence. Today’s tragedy is all the more reason that the forces of moderation and democracy need to prevail in Pakistan, a vision that Madam Bhutto and I share and have discussed. My condolences go out to the families of the innocent victims, and I will do all that I can to support a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Pakistan." 

The Associated Press reports that, although some 20,000 security officers had been deployed to protect Bhutto, a suicide bombing in a crowd welcoming former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto killed at least 126 people Thursday nigh. Two explosions went off near a truck carrying Bhutto, but police and officials of her party said she was not injured and was hurried to her house. 

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has returned to Pakistan after eight years in self-imposed exile. She served twice as the democratically elected prime minister between 1988 and 1996 (being the first female premier in the Muslim world), but both governments fell due to allegations of corruption. After current President Gen. Pervez Musharraf seized power, Bhutto was charged with illegally amassing properties while she was in office and she was forced to leave Pakistan.

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