President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday condemned the murder of Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti in strongest terms and vowed that such acts would not deter the government from eliminating extremism and terrorism. The President who is in Karachi immediately sought report of the incident.
He condemned, what he termed as a "heinous act" and said government would continue to stand firm in its stance and would not bow to the extremists and terrorists. The President in a message to the family conveyed his heartfelt condolences and said the extremist elements were trying in vain to destabilise the country.
However he expressed the resolve that such attempts would fail. He prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul and for courage to the family to bear this loss with courage. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the killing of Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti. Prime Minister Gilani visited the local Al-Shifa hospital where the body of Shahbaz Bhatti had been transferred soon after he was shot dead by unknown assailants.
The Prime Minister ordered inquiry into the incident and said such acts would not deter the government's resolve to fight terrorism and extremism. He expressed deep sorrow and grief over the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul and grant courage to his family to bear this loss.