At a prayer service Saturday, federal politicians called on Canada to take an active role in helping Pakistan deal with the fallout of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Politicians and admirers of Bhutto, the slain leader of the Pakistan People's Party, gathered at the Pakistani Community Centre in east Toronto Saturday to pay their respect with a solemn service.
Some members of Toronto's Pakistani community were in tears at the service, expressing their shock over Bhutto's assassination earlier this week, just a week before elections were to be held in the region.
"She was a fighter and we lost her just like that," said one woman. "It was really sad."
A man at the service said the community not only lost a leader, they lost their hope for democracy and stability in the troubled region.
"We lost her. We lost our hope. We lost our biggest leader in the south-Asian region. We lost the hope of Pakistan. We lost the hope of poor Pakistanis," he said.
Others clutched their cellphones, eagerly awaiting to hear some news from friends and family in Pakistan.
Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton attended the service and called on Canada to take an active role in helping Pakistan deal with the crisis.
"I don't know whether Canada can play a role in the investigation to track down the violent criminals who have attacked both democracy and the human rights of the Pakistani people but I think the key role here can be diplomatic right now," he told reporters outside the centre.
"Canada can play a fundamental role in helping to move these elections forward in a way where the results can confidently project the views of the people of Pakistan even in this very difficult time."
Jim Karygiannis, the Liberal MP for Scarborough Agincourt, said the Conservative government should do more than just extend their sympathies to the Pakistani community.
"Pakistan is a volatile area," he told CTV Toronto. "We need to do more. The Canadian government needs to do more.
"There's been absolutely no response besides our condolence to the families," he continued. "There are Canadians that are stuck over there right now. There are Canadians that want to get their families out and there's been no response."
Pakistani Canadians also voiced their doubts over the Pakistani government's official version of how Bhutto died.
"We definitely demand an independent inquiry by the international agencies," said one mourner. "(International agencies need) to conduct an independent inquiry about this tragic incident and point out the culprits and those culprits who will definitely be punished."
A demonstration is planned for Sunday in front of the Legislature building at Queen's Park. The Canadian branch of the Pakistan People's Party is organizing the rally.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin
