President suggests exhumation

By Our Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Jan 13: President Pervez Musharraf has said that the body of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto should be exhumed to settle the dispute once and for all whether she was killed by a bullet or not.

“Yes, exhume it. A hundred percent. I would like it to be exhumed,” he said. “Because I know for sure there is no bullet wound other than on the right side. Whether it was a bullet or a strike, I don’t want to comment, I don’t know.”

In an interview with Newsweek published on the Internet on Sunday, Mr Musharraf said he was aware of the accusation that the government was complicit in her assassination and wanted a post-mortem to prove that all such allegations were wrong.

When asked whether he thought BB’s wounds had been caused by bullets, the president said: “I am a soldier. I’ve seen a lot of bullet wounds. A bullet wound is a small hole, and if the bullet goes through it makes a big hole on the other side. Now that is what I understand to be a bullet wound. This was not that, although I’m not an expert.”

Mr Musharraf said those blaming the government were not interested in knowing the facts. “How does it absolve the government if it was a bullet or not?” he asked. “If you or anyone else were to accuse the government, the issue of the bullet [versus] explosives is not significant. The media and everyone are involved in an issue that is not very pertinent. Why would we be hiding [the cause of death]? It’s ridiculous, and when I read these comments, I laugh at them.”

But he ruled out ordering a post-mortem without the consent of the Bhutto family. Asked why he should not use his executive power to order one, he said: “Everything is not black and white here. It would have very big political ramifications. If I just ordered the body exhumed, that would be careless, unless (Ms Bhutto’s) people agreed. But they will not.”

Asked if Ms Bhutto’s husband was playing a political game, Mr Musharraf said everybody was trying to gain political advantage from the assassination. “The entire opposition is trying to take political advantage,” he said. “I know what [Bhutto’s opponents] used to say about her, but all of a sudden ... it makes me laugh, actually.”