Bhutto's death 'grievous blow' to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Former Pakistan Prime Nawaz Sharif called the death of Benazir Bhutto a tragedy for the entire country.

Sharif visited the hospital where Bhutto, also a former prime minister, was taken after she was fatally wounded in a suicide attack as she left a political rally in Rawalpindi, the BBC reported.

"I can't tell you what the feelings of the people of Pakistan are today," Sharif said.

A U.S. State Department official said: "The attack (on Bhutto) shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying to undermine reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan."

The BBC report said the Russian foreign ministry offered condolences to Bhutto's family. A ministry statement said Russia hoped the Pakistani leadership would "manage to take necessary steps to ensure stability in the country."

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Bhutto's death is a "reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat."

Bhutto's death is a "grievous blow" to the people of Pakistan, Singh said.