National Conference president Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto is not in the best interests of president Pervez Musharraf.
Talking to rediff.com from Jammu, Abdullah said, "A solitary incident could be described as unexpected, but two attacks on two former prime ministers - Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif - means that there are forces within who do not want democracy to return to Pakistan," he said.
"The incident needs to be condemned in the strongest possible words because her family is young. My heart and prayers go out to them in this hour of crisis. Her family must be totally shattered and I do not know how they are going to cope with this," he said.
Abdullah said that the elections in Pakistan on January 8 would not be possible at this point. "Since everyone in Pakistan knew that she was going to sweep the polls in the elections, those who did not like the return of democracy assassinated her in this brutal manner," he said.
He wished that the Pakistan government had been more circumspect and had organised better security for Bhutto as she had also been targetted on her return to Pakistan. "A weak Pakistan is not in the interest of India either," he added.