How Nawaz Sharif reacted to Benazir Bhutto's murder

Even one of Benazir's bitterest foes couldn't help hold back tears when he heard of her death

As the nation observed Benazir Bhutto’s ninth death anniversary on Tuesday, a video of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reacting to her murder has resurfaced.



Benazir's murder shook the world and even one of her bitterest foes, Nawaz Sharif, couldn't help hold back tears. The twice-serving prime minister was assassinated on December 27, 2007 as she came out of her vehicle to greet attendees of a political rally in Rawalpindi.

The video shows a visibly shaken Nawaz as he arrived to pay his respects to Benazir less than three hours after her death. “It is not a sad day; it’s a dark dark day,” Nawaz can be heard saying. “Something unthinkable has happened… It is the saddest day in the history of this country”

“I can’t believe this, I simply cannot believe this... very tragic,” he added, unable to fight tears.





Her long-time political rival, Nawaz hounded Benazir out of the country after defeating her in the 1996 elections but referred to her as a 'sister' and said he "shared the grief of the entire nation" in a statement issued after her killing. He also announced his party would boycott the January 8, 2008 parliamentary elections in the wake of the assassination.

Although bitter foes for the most part, Benazir and Nawaz became allies when the PML-N leader moved to London from Saudi Arabia after five years in exile following the toppling over of his government by General Pervez Musharraf.