Fox News is reporting that the Bush Administration has condemned the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto:
"We have seen the press reports. We're seeking confirmation, but we do not have any definitive word one way or the other about former Prime Minister Bhutto's condition," deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
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U.S. intelligence officials were mobilized on the reports, but the CIA would not immediately offer confirmation of Bhutto's assassination. "We're still looking into it, to make sure we have all the facts," said CIA spokeswoman Michele Ness.
In Washington, Casey said: "Certainly, we condemn the attack on this rally. It demonstrates that there are still those in Pakistan who want to subvert reconciliation and efforts to advance democracy."
What will this do to Pakistan? Fox News goes on to report:
The United States has for months been encouraging President Pervez Musharraf to reach some kind of political accommodation with the opposition, particularly Bhutto, a former prime minister who is seen as having a wide base of support in the Southwest Asian nation. Her party has been widely expected to do well in parliamentary elections set for next month.
U.S. relations with Pakistan, a close ally in the war on terrorism, have been strained since Musharraf late last year declared emergency rule. President Bush and leading administration foreign policy figures repeatedly urged a return to normalcy, and Musharraf ultimately gave up his position as head of the army.
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In choosing emergency rule, Musharraf purged the judiciary, jailed thousands of opponents and silenced television news channels after he suspended the constitution on Nov. 3.
This story is still unfolding....
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