Benazir Bhutto, who has twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan, has been assassinated in a presumed suicide attack at an election rally in Pakistan.

Following an election address in Rawalpindi, Ms Bhutto was shot in the neck by a gunman who then set off a bomb, killing at least 15 other people and injuring several more, according to the BBC.

The Spanish Online Newspaper 20 Minutos has claimed that, in fact, 25 people have been killed in the attack, which has taken place just two weeks before the elections which Ms Bhutto intended to contest.

Conservative Party Leader David Cameron has said: “This is an appalling act of terrorism. Today Pakistan has lost one of its bravest daughters. Those responsible have not only murdered a courageous leader but have put at risk hopes for the country’s return to democracy.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: “This is a dark day for everyone who believed in a stable and democratic future for Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto was a courageous politician known throughout the world, not just Pakistan, for her forthright and sometimes controversial views. Her tragic death is a hammer blow against the dream of pluralism and tolerance in modern day Pakistan. In the light of her brutal assassination, the need for the full restoration of democracy in Pakistan in now paramount.”

Labour’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: “I am deeply shocked by news of the latest attack in Rawalpindi, which has claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto and killed at least 15 other people. Benazir Bhutto showed in her words and actions a deep commitment to her country. She knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her.”This is a time for restraint but also unity. All those committed to a stable future for Pakistan will condemn without qualification all violence perpetrated against innocent people. In targeting Benazir Bhutto extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan. They cannot and must not succeed. The large Pakistani community in the United Kingdom will be gravely concerned about these latest developments. Let me reassure them that the UK government will continue to work with all those who want to build a peaceful and democratic Pakistan.”

In August, Ms Bhutto spoke at a Gillingham and Rainham Conservatives Association function, during which she said “democracy is the best way to undermine terrorism”. Since she returned to Pakistan, she has been defiant against the threats to her life, and continued her campaign for free elections after a first failed assassination attempt and numerous house arrests.

And now, it seems, Ms Bhutto has paid for her brave defiance with her life.

Personal comment from me later

[media:http://www.alanwcollins.co.uk/media/An evening with Benazir Bhutto.flv]

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