--- description: "It is not a sad day, it is a dark, darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country. Something unthinkable has happened. Something inconceivable,... title: World Reaction to Bhutto's Death image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) # World Reaction to Bhutto's Death by [Glen Levy](/author/glen-levy/) Dec 27, 2007 5:00 AM CUT by [Glen Levy](/author/glen-levy/) Dec 27, 2007 5:00 AM CUT “It is not a sad day, it is a dark, darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country. Something unthinkable has happened. Something inconceivable, unthinkable has happened.” **_Pakistan Opposition Leader NAWAZ SHARIF_** “I was deeply shocked and horrified to hear of the heinous assassination. In her death, the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country.” **_Indian Prime Minister MANMOHAN SINGH_** “Terrorism and violence have no place in the democratic debate and the combat of ideas and programs.” **_French President NICOLAS SARKOZY_** “This is a sad day for democracy. It’s a tragic hour for Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists, but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan.” **_British Prime Minister GORDON BROWN_** “Benazir Bhutto showed in her words and actions a deep commitment to her country. She knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her. This is a time for restraint but also unity.” **_British Foreign Secretary DAVID MILIBAND_** “A woman who chose to fight her battle until the end with a single weapon — the one of dialogue and political debate.” **_Italian Premier ROMANO PRODI_** “The already unstable situation in Pakistan will be further exacerbated by this powerful factor.” **_ANATOLY SAFONOV_**_, Russian President Vladmir Putin’s envoy on international cooperation against terrorism_ “I feel a strong worry for the consequences this will have for Pakistan.” **Sweden’s Foreign Minister CARL BILDT** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6942173/world-reaction-to-bhuttos-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6942173/world-reaction-to-bhuttos-death/"},"headline":"World Reaction to Bhutto's Death","datePublished":"2007-12-27T05:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-22T07:28:53.451Z","description":"\"It is not a sad day, it is a dark, darkest, gloomiest day in the history of this country. Something unthinkable has happened. Something inconceivable,...","url":"https://time.com/archive/6942173/world-reaction-to-bhuttos-death/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Glen Levy","url":"https://time.com/author/glen-levy/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/6942173/world-reaction-to-bhuttos-death/","name":"World Reaction to Bhutto's Death"}}]}] ```