110 HRES 912 EH: Condemning the assassination of former
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-01-16
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
Whereas on December 27, 2007, former Pakistani Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated while departing a peaceful election
rally;
Whereas the attack on Ms. Bhutto also killed some 20 other
innocent bystanders and fellow Muslims;
Whereas Ms. Bhutto had returned to Pakistan in October
2007 after 8 years of self-imposed exile for the stated purpose of bringing
democracy and the voice of moderation back to Pakistan;
Whereas Pakistan has struggled historically in its path
toward a secure and stable democracy, having been ruled by unelected leaders
for 34 out of 60 years of Pakistan’s history;
Whereas Pakistan has been plagued by over 40 suicide
attacks, claiming over 700 lives in 2007;
Whereas the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in
Pakistan are being used by al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist and
extremist elements to regroup, retrain, and recruit for future attacks in
Afghanistan and Pakistan;
Whereas Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation, adding another
level of complexity to Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation and raising
the specter of nuclear arms falling into the hands of extremists in the
future;
Whereas the international community has a vital interest
in supporting a free, stable, and secure Pakistan so as to stem the rise of
extremism in the region, prevent global acts of terrorism originating in
Pakistan, and support the movement toward stable political institutions and
democratic values and the rule of law;
Whereas in the past 5 years, the United States has
provided over $5,000,000,000 in assistance to Pakistan and an additional
$5,000,000,000 to reimburse Pakistan for its expenses incurred in combating
terrorism;
Whereas a significant portion of United States assistance
and reimbursements have gone to support Pakistani military operations in the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, counterterrorism operations in the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan and to increase Pakistan’s
counterterrorism and military capability;
Whereas there is an acute need for additional assistance
from the United States and other countries to support and promote Pakistan’s
economic, social, and political development; and
Whereas the tragic death of Ms. Bhutto creates even
greater uncertainty in an unstable region: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)condemns in the strongest terms the
assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and expresses
its condolences to her family and the families of all those who were killed or
injured in the attack of December 27, 2007;
(2)supports efforts by
Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice those who have perpetrated this
cruel and cowardly attack;
(3)welcomes the provision of assistance by the
Government of the United Kingdom of expertise to the Government of Pakistan in
the conduct of the investigation of the attack;
(4)commends the Government of Pakistan for
accepting such assistance and urges that government to allow experts from the
United Kingdom to participate in such investigation in the fullest possible
manner;
(5)urges the people
and Government of Pakistan to be relentless in its pursuit of a
democratically-elected government, including the holding of free and fair
elections at the earliest possible opportunity;
(6)expresses its
support for the freedom of the media, the ability of political parties to
express their views without restriction, and the independence of the judiciary
in Pakistan; and
(7)reaffirms the
commitment of the United States to assist the people of Pakistan in combating
terrorist activity and promoting a free and democratic Pakistan.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.