After yesterday’s failed assassination attempt aimed at her, Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, received a call from Sonia Gandhi, chairman of India's ruling coalition and Congress Party president. Gandhi wanted to express her concern regarding the ferocious bomb attack which led to the killing of approximately 139 people, according to a party statement issued on Saturday.

Over the phone, Gandhi also expressed her deep grief over the loss of human lives because of the blast.

"The Congress president felt that forces of terror and violence possess great potential threat to democracy and civilized society," the statement said.

Gandhi added in her statement that it is an ethical duty of all countries to take action against these forces of destabilization and destruction.

"The cult of hatred and violence has to be eradicated with unity of purpose by everyone concerned," she also said.

The Indian Foreign Ministry also released a statement in which it was condemning the attack on Friday, the bloodiest in Pakistan so far.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also expressed his deep disapproval of the attack in a letter sent to the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Singh said that such acts of violence were completely intolerable.

There were actually two explosions that nearly killed Bhutto as they ripped through a large crowd that was cheering at her long-awaited return to Pakistan. She was in exile for eight years.

According to her statement following the explosions, she was lucky enough to escape the assassination because she was protected by the armored side of the truck in which she came to the cheering crowd to hold a speech.

"The attack was not on me. The attack was on what I represent. It was an attack on democracy and it was an attack on the very unity and integrity of Pakistan," Bhutto told reporters. "We believe democracy alone can save Pakistan from disintegration and a militant takeover."