• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Pakistan begins Benazir Bhutto's murder probe

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, April 24, IRNA -- Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday formed a high level committee to begin investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister’s office said.

The committee has been formed nine days after an independent United Nations inquiry report noted that security arrangements by Pakistan’s federal and local authorities Benazir Bhutto were “fatally insufficient and ineffective” and subsequent investigations into her death were prejudiced and involved a whitewash.

“Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has constituted a 3 members Fact Finding Committee to determine whether the then Director General, Military Intelligence gave an order to police official(s) for washing/ cleaning of the crime scene of the murder of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” a statement from the PM office said.

The Committee will submit its report to the Prime Minister within seven working days.

After the UN report, President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, is now under tremendous pressure to hold within the country inquiry into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, political analysts say.

The Committee will be headed by Mr. Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, Cabinet Secretary and other members of the committee are Maj. Gen. Sajjad Ghani, Vice Chief of General Staff and Mr. Fayyaz Tooru, Addl Chief Secretary (Home) Peshawar, the capital of northwest Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, the statement said.

The UN Commission of Inquiry, appointed last year by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the request of the Pakistani Government, reached no conclusion as to the organizers and sponsors behind the attack in which a 15-year-old suicide bomber blew up Ms. Bhutto’s vehicle in the city of Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007.

But it found that the Government was quick to blame local Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud and Al-Qaida although Ms. Bhutto’s foes potentially included elements from the establishment itself.

The report also found that then City Police Officer Saud Aziz impeded investigators from conducting on-site investigations until two full days after the assassination and that the Government’s assertions that Mr. Mehsud and Al-Qaida were responsible were made well before any proper investigation had started, pre-empting, prejudicing and hindering the subsequent investigation.

**1771

End News / IRNA / News Code 1075462