The UN Security Council strongly condemned on Thursday the assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

In a statement released after an emergency meeting with the presence of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, council members slammed the terrorist attack "in the strongest terms."

Calling the assassination a heinous act of terrorism, the council also paid tribute to Bhutto .

It called on all Pakistanis to exercise restraint and maintain stability in the country, and reiterated its consistent stance to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Bhutto was killed Thursday evening in a suicide attack during her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30 km south of capital Islamabad. At least 22 other people were killed and 56 were wounded in the attack.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2007)