Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced here Thursday
night that the nation would have three-day mourning for Former
Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a
suicide attack near the capital Islamabad earlier Thursday.
In his nationwide speech through the state-run PTV, Musharraf
asked the nation to keep peaceful.
Musharraf made the announcement after chairing a high-level
meeting on the current situation in Pakistan, attended by Caretaker
Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro and other senior officials.
In a related development, Pakistani paramilitary forces were put
on "red alert" nation-wide Thursday following the assassination of
Bhutto , Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Cheema said.
"We have put the country on red alert. We have put paramilitary
forces in the provinces at their disposal so they can ensure
security and peace," said Cheema.
Pakistan police used tear gas and batons to break up an angry
demonstration Thursday in the city of Peshawar after the
assassination of Bhutto.
(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2007)
