India strongly has condemned the assassination bid on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, an Indian foreign ministry statement says.
"The Government of India strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack against President Musharraf in Rawalpindi earlier today (Thursday) which took many innocent lives and injured a large number of civilians," the statement said.
Early yesterday, Musharraf narrowly survived a second assassination attempt in less than two weeks when suicide car bombers attacked his motorcade in Rawalpindi, killing at least seven people and wounding 17.
"We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the casualties," the Indian foreign ministry added.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is scheduled to visit the Pakistani capital Islamabad in January to attend a regional summit.
Ties between the two nuclear-armed rivals began to thaw last month after New Delhi and Islamabad agreed to a ceasefire on the volatile Line of Control -- a military boundary that divides disputed Kashmir -- and in Siachen Glacier to the north.
The two countries, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, came close to the brink of a fourth conflict last year over New Delhi's accusations that Pakistan-based militants were responsible for an attack on its parliament in December 2001.
Islamabad denied the charge.