Benazir vows to stay in country despite attack

CNews KARACHI: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto vowed on Friday to live in country to continue struggle for democracy to save Pakistan despite heavy loss of lives incurred as a result of assassination attempt made on her life through a suicide attack on caravan of PPP, which was moving towards Mazar-e-Quaid after return of Benazir to Pakistan on Thursday. The suicide attack on PPP caravan at Shahra-e-Faisal near Karsaz on Thursday night left at least 139 people dead including three police officers and over 550 were injured.Addressing a press conference here, she thanked God Almighty for protecting her and top PPP leaders, saying “ The assassination attempt was not on me alone but all other top PPP leaders were also targeted.”Benazir expressed shock and deep grief over loss of PPP workers, security guards and police officers and cops.Benazir termed the suicide attack as an attack on democracy, integrity of Pakistan and humanity saying, “ The unity and integrity of Pakistan depends on restoration of democratic order in Pakistan.”Bhutto was unhurt in Thursday night's attack, having climbed into her specially fortified vehicle just moments before two explosions ripped through crowds welcoming her back to Karachi after eight years in exile. The streets, packed with hundreds of thousands of her jubilant supporters, quickly became a scene of bloody carnage. The campaign bus was scorched and dented. "The attack was not on me, the attack was on what I represent," Bhutto told a press conference in the port city. Bhutto pledged to defy the "cowards" from Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups who had vowed to launch suicide attacks against her before she flew home from Dubai. "If it means sacrificing our lives, then we are prepared to risk our lives, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants," she said.