Pakistan's former Prime Minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif (L) comforts supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at a hospital in Rawalpindi Dec. 27, 2007, where she died in a gun and bomb attack. - Xinhua/Reuters

Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif announced in Islamabad yesterday that his party will boycott the scheduled Jan. 8 parliamentary elections after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in yesterday's suicide attack.

Earlier Sharif went to the hospital and expressed condolences with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders and workers and condemned the assassination of PPP Chairperson and former PM Benazir Bhutto.

He also announced cancellation of election campaign of his party as a sign of solidarity with the PPP.

In major cities of Pakistan like Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, PPP supporters went on streets and burned tyres. Pakistan police used tear gas and batons to break up an angry demonstration in the city of Peshawar after the assassination of Bhutto.

Born on June 21, 1953 in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, Bhutto was the first woman to be a prime minister of the Muslim world. She was twice elected prime minister of Pakistan between 1988 and 1996.

She returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18 this year after her self-imposed exile since in 1998.