Sep 22, 2011

PM condemns terrorist assassination of Afghan leader Rabbani

The Prime Minister has condoled the tragic death of Afghan leader Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani and condemned the terrorist attack on the leader. In a letter to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan Dr. Manmohan Singh said the best tribute the people of Afghanistan can pay to the departed leader is to carry on with the task that he had begun – securing a peaceful and safe future for the people of Afghanistan. The text of the Prime Minister`s letter is as follows:

"It is with great shock and sadness that I have learnt of the tragic death of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani. This is a senseless act of terrorism which the Government and people of India condemn. I fondly recall my two meetings with Professor Rabbani in Kabul in May 2011 and in New Delhi in July 2011 during which he had shared with me his vision of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. The best tribute the people of Afghanistan can pay to him is to carry on with the task that he had begun – securing a peaceful and safe future for the people of Afghanistan. Please accept my deepest condolences on the tragic loss. I wish to assure Your Excellency that India stands by you and the people of Afghanistan in this hour. "[PIB Report].

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd condemned the attack and offered his condolences to Mr Rabbani's family, friends and the people of Afghanistan. "Professor Rabbani was dedicated to advancing the peace process and I am appalled at his murder by those seeking to derail the creation of a stable Afghanistan," Mr Rudd said in a statement. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store condemned the assassination and called it a serious attack on stabilisation in Afghanistan. "I strongly condemn the attack that killed Mr Rabbani and several others. This was not just an attack against Rabbani and his colleagues, but a serious attack on the Afghan government and the ongoing stabilisation efforts." Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Mr Rabbani's death was a "painful setback" in the struggle for peace in Central and South Asia.

"He was a tireless fighter for a free, stable and strong Afghanistan," Mr Medvedev said. He added that Professor Rabbani was "a major component of national reconciliation" in Afghanistan and that "this murder shows the need for the international fight against terrorism to continue." Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said: "The martyrdom of the head of Afghanistan Peace Council, coinciding with the International Day of Peace, is a sign that terrorism is expanding in this country despite 10 years of foreign forces' presence on the pretext of establishing peace and stability the country." In a joint statement, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, conveyed to the people of Afghanistan its extreme anger and shock at the terrorist attack.

"Professor Rabbani was a friend of Pakistan with whom we were working closely within the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Commission for Reconciliation and Peace on a vision for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. Prof. Rabbani has been martyred by the enemies of peace in Afghanistan." [Tolonews report].