ISLAMABAD - President Pervez Musharraf on Friday condemned the "distorted thinking" of Islamic extremists after a suicide attacker killed at least 50 people, the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
In a statement, Musharraf vowed to keep up the fight against extremism and ordered the country's security and intelligence agencies to "track down the masterminds behind this abhorrent act," the agency said.
"No Muslim could even think of committing such a heinous crime that takes the lives of a large number of innocent faithful," the APP reported him as saying.
"A handful of extremists were bent upon forcing their way of 'distorted thinking' on the vast majority of moderate and practicing Muslims, which was totally unacceptable."
Pakistan has been battling a wave of militant violence that has killed more than 750 people this year.
Musharraf is a pivotal figure in the US-led "war on terror" but critics say his government could be more cooperative in tracking down and detaining militants.
bur-mc/mtp
12/21/2007 10:45 GMT