By A Reporter
RAWALPINDI, Feb 8: An anti-terrorism court here on Friday gave two suspects in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination plot into physical custody of police for 12 days after police sought their custody to extract more information.
ATC 1 Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman remanded Hasnain and Rafaqat in police custody after a superintendent of police sought their custody saying the joint investigation team was looking into the December 27 assassination of former Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson and wanted to obtain further information from the suspects. The suspects will again be produced in the court on February 20.
According to police the two men were arrested two days ago from Rawalpindi on the information of Aitzaz Shah and Sher Zaman who were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan some three weeks ago.
The arrested persons are said to be relatives of Aitzaz and Sher Zaman. The investigators have also claimed that the suspects have links with the tribal areas militants.
Both Hasnain and Rafaqat are to be probed in a case booked with City Police Station on December 27, 2007 under the charges of murder, attempted murder, terrorism, having and using banned explosive materials, causing mischief by fire and explosives to damage property and criminal conspiracy. The gun and bomb attack outside Liaqat Bagh Park killed Benazir along with 21 workers of the PPP.
Meanwhile a civil judge asked the Punjab and city district government Rawalpindi to submit their comments in writing in response to a suit filed by Pakistan People’s Party workers seeking a piece of land at Liaqat Bagh to build a monument in commemoration of slain Benazir and 21 other people.
Civil Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan asked both provincial and district government to file their reply in response to a suit filed by Muhammad Ishfaq Chaudhry along with seven men that wanted a piece of land for the a monument.
Showing posts with label Benazir Assassination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benazir Assassination. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2008
Two suspects held in Benazir case
By Syed Irfan Raza and Mohammad Asghar
ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Feb 7: Police said on Thursday they had arrested two more suspects in connection with the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, as a Scotland Yard team helping Pakistani investigators into the terror attack of Dec 27 returned to Islamabad from Britain.
A senior police official confirmed the arrest of the two suspects and said they were being interrogated.
“Two very important terrorists – Hasnain and Rafaqat – have been arrested this morning with the help of Rawalpindi police,” a police statement said.
Police said that Hasnain and Rafaqat were relatives of two key suspects arrested earlier in connection with the assassination.
Law-enforcement agencies arrested 15-year-old Aitezaz Shah last month, who admitted to being a back-up suicide bomber for a team that assassinated Ms Bhutto. He and his handler Sher Zaman, who are from Manshera district, were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan.
The Scotland Yard team is likely to hand over a report to the Pakistani authorities on Friday, interior ministry sources told Dawn.
Shortly after their arrival in Islamabad, members of the team visited the Police Lines in Rawalpindi and discussed some important issues with Pakistani investigators and bomb disposal experts.
When contacted, Interior Minister Lt-Gen Hamid Nawaz said the British investigators had not informed the government about how long they would stay in Pakistan.
“The team will be free to further investigate the case,” he said.
According to terms of reference agreed between Pakistan and the UK, the team could assist local investigators in finding out the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death. However, the primacy and responsibility for the investigation rests with the Pakistani authorities.
“The British investigators are not confined to determine only the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and it depends on them to investigate the case also and unveil the persons involved in the assassination,” the minister said.
Sources in the interior ministry said the government had given very ‘short’ time to foreign experts to determine the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death as they had been asked to complete their investigations before the Feb 18 election.
AGENCIES ADD: Both men had “tentacles from the tribal region and Baitullah Mehsud,” a senior security official said.
“It is a major breakthrough. These two men were involved in the assassination and they are from a militant group which is relatively new,” the official said.
ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Feb 7: Police said on Thursday they had arrested two more suspects in connection with the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, as a Scotland Yard team helping Pakistani investigators into the terror attack of Dec 27 returned to Islamabad from Britain.
A senior police official confirmed the arrest of the two suspects and said they were being interrogated.
“Two very important terrorists – Hasnain and Rafaqat – have been arrested this morning with the help of Rawalpindi police,” a police statement said.
Police said that Hasnain and Rafaqat were relatives of two key suspects arrested earlier in connection with the assassination.
Law-enforcement agencies arrested 15-year-old Aitezaz Shah last month, who admitted to being a back-up suicide bomber for a team that assassinated Ms Bhutto. He and his handler Sher Zaman, who are from Manshera district, were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan.
The Scotland Yard team is likely to hand over a report to the Pakistani authorities on Friday, interior ministry sources told Dawn.
Shortly after their arrival in Islamabad, members of the team visited the Police Lines in Rawalpindi and discussed some important issues with Pakistani investigators and bomb disposal experts.
When contacted, Interior Minister Lt-Gen Hamid Nawaz said the British investigators had not informed the government about how long they would stay in Pakistan.
“The team will be free to further investigate the case,” he said.
According to terms of reference agreed between Pakistan and the UK, the team could assist local investigators in finding out the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death. However, the primacy and responsibility for the investigation rests with the Pakistani authorities.
“The British investigators are not confined to determine only the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and it depends on them to investigate the case also and unveil the persons involved in the assassination,” the minister said.
Sources in the interior ministry said the government had given very ‘short’ time to foreign experts to determine the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death as they had been asked to complete their investigations before the Feb 18 election.
AGENCIES ADD: Both men had “tentacles from the tribal region and Baitullah Mehsud,” a senior security official said.
“It is a major breakthrough. These two men were involved in the assassination and they are from a militant group which is relatively new,” the official said.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
3 UK detectives due today
By Mohammad Asghar
RAWALPINDI, Feb 6: Three Scotland Yard detectives investigating into the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday morning, Dawn has learnt on good authority. Six members of the Yard team had returned to Britain after collecting evidence and other material.
The British government had sent the investigators at the request of Pakistan to assist local agencies in the probe.
RAWALPINDI, Feb 6: Three Scotland Yard detectives investigating into the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday morning, Dawn has learnt on good authority. Six members of the Yard team had returned to Britain after collecting evidence and other material.
The British government had sent the investigators at the request of Pakistan to assist local agencies in the probe.
Monday, January 28, 2008
PPP delegates return from US
By Ashraf Mumtaz
LAHORE, Jan 28: A three-member PPP delegation which visited the United States to seek support for its demand that the government entrust the investigation of Ms Benazir Bhutto’s assassination to the United Nations returned home on Monday ostensibly with no sign that the Bush administration will put pressure on President Musharraf to accept the PPP’s point of view.
Party sources, however, said the visit helped the PPP to put across its point of view to important people, including Congressmen they met during their three-day stay.
The visit was “pretty successful in terms of Congressional support for a UN probe as well as for elections on time,” the sources said. Information secretary Sherry Rehman led the delegation.
“They haven’t given any indication that they will support the PPP’s point of view,” the sources told Dawn.
The government said that the Scotland Yard team was competent to investigate the matter. However, the PPP sources said that its terms of reference were limited to finding the cause of death and it could not identify the perpetrators and financiers of the crime. The sources said that it was premature to say whether the party would accept the findings of the Scotland Yard team.
LAHORE, Jan 28: A three-member PPP delegation which visited the United States to seek support for its demand that the government entrust the investigation of Ms Benazir Bhutto’s assassination to the United Nations returned home on Monday ostensibly with no sign that the Bush administration will put pressure on President Musharraf to accept the PPP’s point of view.
Party sources, however, said the visit helped the PPP to put across its point of view to important people, including Congressmen they met during their three-day stay.
The visit was “pretty successful in terms of Congressional support for a UN probe as well as for elections on time,” the sources said. Information secretary Sherry Rehman led the delegation.
“They haven’t given any indication that they will support the PPP’s point of view,” the sources told Dawn.
The government said that the Scotland Yard team was competent to investigate the matter. However, the PPP sources said that its terms of reference were limited to finding the cause of death and it could not identify the perpetrators and financiers of the crime. The sources said that it was premature to say whether the party would accept the findings of the Scotland Yard team.
British team to return next month
By Syed Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: The Scotland Yard team investigating the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto will be returning to the country some time next month and not on January 27 as announced by the government.
The reason behind the delay could not be ascertained and the British High Commission claimed that there was no schedule for the investigators’ return.
“The Scotland Yard team is not coming back in the next three days,” the high commission’s Press Secretary Aidan Liddle told Dawn.
When it was pointed out that Pakistan’s interior ministry had announced that the team would return on January 27, the official said: “There was no such schedule of their return.”
On the other hand caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz said: “We were expecting the arrival of British investigators some time between January 26 and January 27, but we do not know the reason behind the delay.”
Asked whether the foreign investigators would submit their investigation report immediately after their return to the country or would do some more investigation, the minister said: “It would be up to them whether they submit the report at their return or take more time for this.”
Eight experts of the Scotland Yard have been probing the case and five forensic experts, after collecting evidences, had left the country in the second week of this month, while the other three flew back later.
The team arrived in Islamabad on January 4 and started the investigation on January 6.
The government had announced that in the light of the evidence gathered by the investigators and statements they had recorded, they would prepare a report in the UK determining the cause of death and present it to the government of Pakistan on their return.
However, analysts said the investigators had been facing difficulty due to lack of evidence. They said that police had not cordoned off the site of assassination, rather they had hosed it down the day Ms Bhutto had been murdered, erasing valuable evidences.
Another problem for the investigators was that a post-mortem of the body had not been conducted.
ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: The Scotland Yard team investigating the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto will be returning to the country some time next month and not on January 27 as announced by the government.
The reason behind the delay could not be ascertained and the British High Commission claimed that there was no schedule for the investigators’ return.
“The Scotland Yard team is not coming back in the next three days,” the high commission’s Press Secretary Aidan Liddle told Dawn.
When it was pointed out that Pakistan’s interior ministry had announced that the team would return on January 27, the official said: “There was no such schedule of their return.”
On the other hand caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz said: “We were expecting the arrival of British investigators some time between January 26 and January 27, but we do not know the reason behind the delay.”
Asked whether the foreign investigators would submit their investigation report immediately after their return to the country or would do some more investigation, the minister said: “It would be up to them whether they submit the report at their return or take more time for this.”
Eight experts of the Scotland Yard have been probing the case and five forensic experts, after collecting evidences, had left the country in the second week of this month, while the other three flew back later.
The team arrived in Islamabad on January 4 and started the investigation on January 6.
The government had announced that in the light of the evidence gathered by the investigators and statements they had recorded, they would prepare a report in the UK determining the cause of death and present it to the government of Pakistan on their return.
However, analysts said the investigators had been facing difficulty due to lack of evidence. They said that police had not cordoned off the site of assassination, rather they had hosed it down the day Ms Bhutto had been murdered, erasing valuable evidences.
Another problem for the investigators was that a post-mortem of the body had not been conducted.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Scotland Yard team ‘free’ to conduct full probe
By Syed Irfan Raza and Mohammad Asghar
ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Jan 23: Despite limited evidences, short investigation time and a mandate to determine only the cause of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s death, given to the Scotland Yard team, the government is reported to be trying to put the responsibility of complete investigation of the case on the British team.
Now the government is giving an impression that the foreign experts who have retuned to the UK with whatever evidences were available can investigate the case from all angles to unveil the persons involved in Ms Bhutto’s murder. However, the earlier stance of the government was that the British experts could only determine the cause of her death.
“The Scotland Yard team which is coming back to Pakistan on Jan 27 will be free to investigate the case,” Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema told Dawn on Wednesday.
However, according to the working arrangements agreed between Pakistan and the UK, the Scotland Yard team could assist local investigators in the case to ‘know the cause of her death’. The primacy and responsibility for the investigation remains with Pakistani authorities.
Now when the British experts have been asked to submit their report before forthcoming general elections, the interior ministry spokesman said: “The British investigators were not confined to only determine the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and it depends on them to also investigate the case and unveil the persons involved in the assassination.”
However, analysts were of the view that due to lack of solid evidences the Scotland Yard team would come up with no conclusion as it would have to rely on what the local investigators would tell them.
They said the British investigators had been facing difficulty in probing the case due to lack of evidence. They said police had not cordoned off the place of assassination rather they had washed it on the day of Ms Bhutto’s murder, resulting in the loss of all available evidences there.
Another difficulty the foreign detectives have been facing is that post-mortem of Ms Bhutto had not been conducted. The government had made an offer to her family to exhume her body for autopsy but the family seems to be reluctant.
The interior ministry spokesman said in his weekly press briefing on Tuesday that the Scotland Yard team would be allowed to interrogate two arrested terrorists allegedly involved in Ms Bhutto’s murder.
But, on the other hand the government made its own credibility ‘quite controversial’ by categorically rejecting a demand of the deceased chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and after her death of other leaders of the party regarding nomination of four important persons in the former government in the assassination case.
Sources in the interior ministry said the government had given very ‘short’ time to the foreign experts to determine the cause of death or investigate the case because they had been asked to complete the probe before coming elections scheduled for February 18.
“Yes we have asked them to complete the investigation before holding of the elections,” caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz has said. “It would be better for all if they complete the probe before the polls,” he added.
A total of eight experts of Scotland Yard have been probing the case and five forensic experts, after collecting evidences, had left Pakistan in the second week of this month while the other three flew back on Jan 16.
Four members of the Scotland Yard team will return to Pakistan on Jan 27.
The sources said the Scotland Yard team would interrogate 15-year-old Aitzaz Shah, one of the two suspects allegedly connected with the assassination plot. He is being kept in a high security lock-up and interrogated exclusively by CID officers.
The source said CID officials were likely to record statements of Rawalpindi police officers and scrutinise the security plan for Dec 27.
The Scotland Yard’s team had gone back to the UK, leaving behind two liaison officers in Islamabad. The four returning investigators are expected to bring back some vital piece of evidence.
The sources said that the British investigators would again recreate the crime scene outside the Liaquat Bagh to help in their investigations.
Aitzaz Shah and his militant ‘handler’ Sher Zaman were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan last week.
ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Jan 23: Despite limited evidences, short investigation time and a mandate to determine only the cause of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s death, given to the Scotland Yard team, the government is reported to be trying to put the responsibility of complete investigation of the case on the British team.
Now the government is giving an impression that the foreign experts who have retuned to the UK with whatever evidences were available can investigate the case from all angles to unveil the persons involved in Ms Bhutto’s murder. However, the earlier stance of the government was that the British experts could only determine the cause of her death.
“The Scotland Yard team which is coming back to Pakistan on Jan 27 will be free to investigate the case,” Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema told Dawn on Wednesday.
However, according to the working arrangements agreed between Pakistan and the UK, the Scotland Yard team could assist local investigators in the case to ‘know the cause of her death’. The primacy and responsibility for the investigation remains with Pakistani authorities.
Now when the British experts have been asked to submit their report before forthcoming general elections, the interior ministry spokesman said: “The British investigators were not confined to only determine the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and it depends on them to also investigate the case and unveil the persons involved in the assassination.”
However, analysts were of the view that due to lack of solid evidences the Scotland Yard team would come up with no conclusion as it would have to rely on what the local investigators would tell them.
They said the British investigators had been facing difficulty in probing the case due to lack of evidence. They said police had not cordoned off the place of assassination rather they had washed it on the day of Ms Bhutto’s murder, resulting in the loss of all available evidences there.
Another difficulty the foreign detectives have been facing is that post-mortem of Ms Bhutto had not been conducted. The government had made an offer to her family to exhume her body for autopsy but the family seems to be reluctant.
The interior ministry spokesman said in his weekly press briefing on Tuesday that the Scotland Yard team would be allowed to interrogate two arrested terrorists allegedly involved in Ms Bhutto’s murder.
But, on the other hand the government made its own credibility ‘quite controversial’ by categorically rejecting a demand of the deceased chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and after her death of other leaders of the party regarding nomination of four important persons in the former government in the assassination case.
Sources in the interior ministry said the government had given very ‘short’ time to the foreign experts to determine the cause of death or investigate the case because they had been asked to complete the probe before coming elections scheduled for February 18.
“Yes we have asked them to complete the investigation before holding of the elections,” caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz has said. “It would be better for all if they complete the probe before the polls,” he added.
A total of eight experts of Scotland Yard have been probing the case and five forensic experts, after collecting evidences, had left Pakistan in the second week of this month while the other three flew back on Jan 16.
Four members of the Scotland Yard team will return to Pakistan on Jan 27.
The sources said the Scotland Yard team would interrogate 15-year-old Aitzaz Shah, one of the two suspects allegedly connected with the assassination plot. He is being kept in a high security lock-up and interrogated exclusively by CID officers.
The source said CID officials were likely to record statements of Rawalpindi police officers and scrutinise the security plan for Dec 27.
The Scotland Yard’s team had gone back to the UK, leaving behind two liaison officers in Islamabad. The four returning investigators are expected to bring back some vital piece of evidence.
The sources said that the British investigators would again recreate the crime scene outside the Liaquat Bagh to help in their investigations.
Aitzaz Shah and his militant ‘handler’ Sher Zaman were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan last week.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Scotland Yard to be allowed to quiz suspects: Cheema
By Syed Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: The Scotland Yard team investigating into the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto would be allowed to interrogate the suspected teenager and his partner allegedly involved in the assassination plot, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said on Tuesday.
“If they (Scotland Yard team) require, the government would facilitate them to quiz Aitzaz Shah and Sher Zaman,” Mr Cheema said.
The British team has gone home, but is expected to return in a few days and present its final report.
He said that the findings of the team would be made public soon after the report was submitted to the government.
He said the 15-year-old Aitzaz Shah and his militant ‘handler’ had been arrested in Dera Ismail Khan last week and Shah had told interrogators he was next in line to kill former prime minister had the other assassins failed.
“We have arrested them and recovered some explosives, some vests used for suicide bombing and detonators from the possession of the suspects,” Mr Cheema said.
“The suspect has made some revelations with regard to the assassination of Ms Bhutto,” the spokesman said.
He said that the boy’s information had led investigators to arrest his accomplice Sher Zaman.
Responding to a question about any link between Baitullah Mehsud and the suspects, the official said that investigators had not released any such information in this regard.
Answering a question about the inclusion in the probe of the people mentioned in a letter written by Ms Bhutto to the president before her return to the country from exile, the spokesman said: “It is unacceptable because they had been nominated six months before her assassination.”
ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: The Scotland Yard team investigating into the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto would be allowed to interrogate the suspected teenager and his partner allegedly involved in the assassination plot, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said on Tuesday.
“If they (Scotland Yard team) require, the government would facilitate them to quiz Aitzaz Shah and Sher Zaman,” Mr Cheema said.
The British team has gone home, but is expected to return in a few days and present its final report.
He said that the findings of the team would be made public soon after the report was submitted to the government.
He said the 15-year-old Aitzaz Shah and his militant ‘handler’ had been arrested in Dera Ismail Khan last week and Shah had told interrogators he was next in line to kill former prime minister had the other assassins failed.
“We have arrested them and recovered some explosives, some vests used for suicide bombing and detonators from the possession of the suspects,” Mr Cheema said.
“The suspect has made some revelations with regard to the assassination of Ms Bhutto,” the spokesman said.
He said that the boy’s information had led investigators to arrest his accomplice Sher Zaman.
Responding to a question about any link between Baitullah Mehsud and the suspects, the official said that investigators had not released any such information in this regard.
Answering a question about the inclusion in the probe of the people mentioned in a letter written by Ms Bhutto to the president before her return to the country from exile, the spokesman said: “It is unacceptable because they had been nominated six months before her assassination.”
Monday, January 21, 2008
Mumtaz questions CIA’s ‘findings’
LARKANA, Jan 21: The Sindh National Front chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto said on Monday that there was no concrete evidence in the ‘findings’ of the American CIA that Al Qaeda and Baintullah Mehsood were responsible for the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Talking to visitors in his native village Mirpur Bhutto in the Larkana district, Mr Bhutto termed the accusations a part of ‘American war against Muslims’.
“Since, Benazir called herself as Bhutto even after marriage, her assassination is the murder of a member of the Bhutto family, therefore the Bhutto community would follow the entire process of probe and would not allow any other person to get any personal or political mileage from it,” he said.
“We would approach the rulers and demand to take us into confidence about the probe into assassination of Benazir Bhutto,” Mr Bhutto said.
Mumtaz Bhutto contended that Benazir Bhutto was trapped in such a situation that a number of notorious criminals had come very close to her. “Who developed such a situation and how? This is very important question,’’ he said.—PPI
Talking to visitors in his native village Mirpur Bhutto in the Larkana district, Mr Bhutto termed the accusations a part of ‘American war against Muslims’.
“Since, Benazir called herself as Bhutto even after marriage, her assassination is the murder of a member of the Bhutto family, therefore the Bhutto community would follow the entire process of probe and would not allow any other person to get any personal or political mileage from it,” he said.
“We would approach the rulers and demand to take us into confidence about the probe into assassination of Benazir Bhutto,” Mr Bhutto said.
Mumtaz Bhutto contended that Benazir Bhutto was trapped in such a situation that a number of notorious criminals had come very close to her. “Who developed such a situation and how? This is very important question,’’ he said.—PPI
Sunday, January 20, 2008
CIA has evidence of Al Qaeda hand: paper
By Our Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan 19: The CIA chief’s claim that Baitullah Mahsud directed the attack on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is based on “powerful” evidence the agency has collected, two major US newspapers reported on Saturday.
The New York Times also reported that the Bush administration is currently considering proposals to step up covert actions against the Al Qaeda network in Pakistan’s tribal region.
The report identified Mahsud as “a militant tribal leader in hiding” and noted that he has ties to Al Qaeda as well.
“There are powerful reasons to believe that terror networks around Baitullah Mahsud were responsible,” an American intelligence official told NYT.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, the official said that “different pieces of information” had pointed toward Mahsud’s responsibility.
CIA Director Michael J. Hayden discussed the agency’s conclusion in an interview with The Washington Post published on Friday.
On Saturday, NYT did its own story on Mr Hayden’s claim, noting that independent security analysts believe the Al Qaeda network in Pakistan is increasingly made up of “home-grown militants” who have made destabilising the government a top priority.
The report also referred to recent media statements by American intelligence officials saying that Al Qaeda has steadily built a safe haven in the mountainous tribal region Pakistan, constructing a band of makeshift compounds where both Pakistani militants and foreign fighters conduct training and planning for terrorist attacks.
The newspaper pointed out that Al Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan’s tribal areas is causing “mounting frustration” among American intelligence and counterterrorism officials, many of whom believe that the United States should take more aggressive unilateral steps to dismantle terrorist networks in this region.
In a separate report, The Los Angeles Times also quoted senior CIA officials as telling its reporters in Washington that Baitullah Mahsud was behind the Bhutto assassination.
“There is certainly no reason to doubt that Mahsud was behind this,” one such official told the newspaper.
The report, however, noted that Mahsud has denied involvement in the attack on Bhutto on Dec 27 after a political rally in Rawalpindi.
The newspaper also quoted from an interview Ms Bhutto gave to Britain’s Guardian newspaper before her death, saying that though Mahsud had reportedly threatened to send suicide bombers against her if she came back to Pakistan, the real danger came from extremist elements within the government that were opposed to her return.
“I’m not worried about Mahsud, I’m worried about the threat within the government,” she said. “People like Mahsud are just pawns. It is the forces behind them that have presided over the rise of extremism and militancy in my country.”
WASHINGTON, Jan 19: The CIA chief’s claim that Baitullah Mahsud directed the attack on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is based on “powerful” evidence the agency has collected, two major US newspapers reported on Saturday.
The New York Times also reported that the Bush administration is currently considering proposals to step up covert actions against the Al Qaeda network in Pakistan’s tribal region.
The report identified Mahsud as “a militant tribal leader in hiding” and noted that he has ties to Al Qaeda as well.
“There are powerful reasons to believe that terror networks around Baitullah Mahsud were responsible,” an American intelligence official told NYT.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, the official said that “different pieces of information” had pointed toward Mahsud’s responsibility.
CIA Director Michael J. Hayden discussed the agency’s conclusion in an interview with The Washington Post published on Friday.
On Saturday, NYT did its own story on Mr Hayden’s claim, noting that independent security analysts believe the Al Qaeda network in Pakistan is increasingly made up of “home-grown militants” who have made destabilising the government a top priority.
The report also referred to recent media statements by American intelligence officials saying that Al Qaeda has steadily built a safe haven in the mountainous tribal region Pakistan, constructing a band of makeshift compounds where both Pakistani militants and foreign fighters conduct training and planning for terrorist attacks.
The newspaper pointed out that Al Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan’s tribal areas is causing “mounting frustration” among American intelligence and counterterrorism officials, many of whom believe that the United States should take more aggressive unilateral steps to dismantle terrorist networks in this region.
In a separate report, The Los Angeles Times also quoted senior CIA officials as telling its reporters in Washington that Baitullah Mahsud was behind the Bhutto assassination.
“There is certainly no reason to doubt that Mahsud was behind this,” one such official told the newspaper.
The report, however, noted that Mahsud has denied involvement in the attack on Bhutto on Dec 27 after a political rally in Rawalpindi.
The newspaper also quoted from an interview Ms Bhutto gave to Britain’s Guardian newspaper before her death, saying that though Mahsud had reportedly threatened to send suicide bombers against her if she came back to Pakistan, the real danger came from extremist elements within the government that were opposed to her return.
“I’m not worried about Mahsud, I’m worried about the threat within the government,” she said. “People like Mahsud are just pawns. It is the forces behind them that have presided over the rise of extremism and militancy in my country.”
Boy, key suspect held in BB murder plot
By Irfan Mughal
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Jan 19: A teenaged boy arrested on Friday told investigators he was the next in line to kill former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had the Dec 27 attempt failed, a security official told Dawn on Saturday.
“He appears to be part of the group that had planned the assassination, but not directly involved in it,” the official said in Peshawar.
The 18-year-old Aitzaz Shah, a native of Battal, in Mansehra district, used to live and study in Karachi. Aitzaz, according to the security official, also told the interrogators that he had been recruited by a cleric in Karachi and was sent to South Waziristan to train as a suicide bomber.
He said that he had trained in Makeen, South Waziristan, and knew about the group that had planned the assassination.
Aitzaz, who was arrested along with another man identified as Sher Zaman, was said to be cooperating with his interrogators.
The official said that the real catch was Sher Zaman, who was Aitzaz’s handler. “He is the real catch.”
A police official said that Aitzaz had even identified as Bilal the man who had executed the plot and then blew himself up. Bilal was a member of the Al-Badar outfit. He claimed that he was the back-up for Bilal whose facilitator was Akram. Police are looking for Akram.
Police said that the two suspects were arrested while driving into the city in a car. On search, the police also recovered explosives. Police said that the teenager had been assigned by his handlers to target a Shia procession in the city that has seen spiral of sectarian violence in the past.
“The boy seems to be implicating militant commander, Baituallah Mehsud in Benazir’s assassination,” the official said.
He said the boy and his handler would be subjected to further interrogation to find more clues about Benazir’s murder and other terrorist acts in the country. “So far, what he has said is very sketchy but we would know more as we speak to him again,” he said.
Police refused to confirm and contradict Aitzaz’s statement and Interior Ministry’s spokesman, Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema told an international wire service he had no information to share.
But a spokesman for Mr. Mehsud denied Aitzaz had any link with his group. “We have denied our involvement in Benazir’s assassination before and are strongly denying this again. We are not involved in Benazir’s murder,” Maulvi Omar told Dawn in Tank near Dera Ismail Khan.
“Yesterday, the American CIA had made a similar claim and now the police claim seems to be a continuation of the same conspiracy,” he said.—Ismail Khan contributed to this story from Peshawar and Alamgir Bittani from Tank.
Aitzaz allegedly said the attackers in the team that killed Ms Bhutto were called Bilal and Ikramullah -- the same names mentioned in an alleged telephone conversation between Mehsud and another militant the day after her death, adds AFP.
The tape was released by the interior ministry.
Aitzaz’s whereabouts at the time of the attack were not immediately clear.
One security official said he was in Rawalpindi while another said he was in Waziristan.
“The suspect was not in Rawalpindi at the time of attack on Ms Bhutto. The boy told interrogators that he was in South Waziristan,” a top police official quoted him as telling the interrogators.
One of the officials said Aitzaz was arrested during a security check when he arrived in Dera Ismail Khan by taxi from North Waziristan.
He allegedly told officials that he came to collect a suicide jacket for an attack at the US consulate in Karachi but the programme was changed because of tight security for Ashura.
Instead he was ordered to launch an attack during an Ashura procession on Sunday, the officials said.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Jan 19: A teenaged boy arrested on Friday told investigators he was the next in line to kill former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had the Dec 27 attempt failed, a security official told Dawn on Saturday.
“He appears to be part of the group that had planned the assassination, but not directly involved in it,” the official said in Peshawar.
The 18-year-old Aitzaz Shah, a native of Battal, in Mansehra district, used to live and study in Karachi. Aitzaz, according to the security official, also told the interrogators that he had been recruited by a cleric in Karachi and was sent to South Waziristan to train as a suicide bomber.
He said that he had trained in Makeen, South Waziristan, and knew about the group that had planned the assassination.
Aitzaz, who was arrested along with another man identified as Sher Zaman, was said to be cooperating with his interrogators.
The official said that the real catch was Sher Zaman, who was Aitzaz’s handler. “He is the real catch.”
A police official said that Aitzaz had even identified as Bilal the man who had executed the plot and then blew himself up. Bilal was a member of the Al-Badar outfit. He claimed that he was the back-up for Bilal whose facilitator was Akram. Police are looking for Akram.
Police said that the two suspects were arrested while driving into the city in a car. On search, the police also recovered explosives. Police said that the teenager had been assigned by his handlers to target a Shia procession in the city that has seen spiral of sectarian violence in the past.
“The boy seems to be implicating militant commander, Baituallah Mehsud in Benazir’s assassination,” the official said.
He said the boy and his handler would be subjected to further interrogation to find more clues about Benazir’s murder and other terrorist acts in the country. “So far, what he has said is very sketchy but we would know more as we speak to him again,” he said.
Police refused to confirm and contradict Aitzaz’s statement and Interior Ministry’s spokesman, Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema told an international wire service he had no information to share.
But a spokesman for Mr. Mehsud denied Aitzaz had any link with his group. “We have denied our involvement in Benazir’s assassination before and are strongly denying this again. We are not involved in Benazir’s murder,” Maulvi Omar told Dawn in Tank near Dera Ismail Khan.
“Yesterday, the American CIA had made a similar claim and now the police claim seems to be a continuation of the same conspiracy,” he said.—Ismail Khan contributed to this story from Peshawar and Alamgir Bittani from Tank.
Aitzaz allegedly said the attackers in the team that killed Ms Bhutto were called Bilal and Ikramullah -- the same names mentioned in an alleged telephone conversation between Mehsud and another militant the day after her death, adds AFP.
The tape was released by the interior ministry.
Aitzaz’s whereabouts at the time of the attack were not immediately clear.
One security official said he was in Rawalpindi while another said he was in Waziristan.
“The suspect was not in Rawalpindi at the time of attack on Ms Bhutto. The boy told interrogators that he was in South Waziristan,” a top police official quoted him as telling the interrogators.
One of the officials said Aitzaz was arrested during a security check when he arrived in Dera Ismail Khan by taxi from North Waziristan.
He allegedly told officials that he came to collect a suicide jacket for an attack at the US consulate in Karachi but the programme was changed because of tight security for Ashura.
Instead he was ordered to launch an attack during an Ashura procession on Sunday, the officials said.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Arbab calls for probing Zardari, two guards
By Our Correspondent
MIRPURKHAS, Jan 15: Former Sindh Chief Minister and president of PML-Q, Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has urged the government to include PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Sherry Rehman as well as two bodyguards of Benazir Bhutto, Rehman Dakait and Khalid Shahenshah, in the investigation into the assassination case of Ms Bhutto, and said that there could be a number of motives behind the assassination.
He was addressing a press conference after a meeting of PML-Q candidates and office-bearers of lower Sindh at the residence of Arbab Faiz Mohammad near Naokot on Tuesday, he said the investigation should focus on people who had benefited politically and financially from the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
He said that after Muharram he would resume his election campaign in Sindh and expressed the hope that his party would win with the support of coalition partners.
He said that elections would be held on schedule if no big incident occurred. He said that economic growth and progress achieved during eight years of President Pervez Musharraf had been damaged by miscreants after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Our Mithi correspondent adds: Speaking at public gathering in Virawah village near Nagarparkar, Dr Rahim has said that he and his supporters prefer the politics of patience and tolerance over the politics of revenge and believe in service to people without any discrimination.
Without naming Pakistan People’s Party, he said: “Some circles are trying to make a corpse the base of their politics to get votes and strengthen their party but what kind of politics is that.”
“One who has expired should be considered as dead and people should pin hopes on those who live,” he added.
He said: “I have not studied at Oxford but was born and educated in Thar and am aware of its culture and problems. My contribution can be gauged from the fact that … after becoming chief minister … not only I took bold stance on the issues concerning Sindh but also undertook projects of road network, electricity and water supply from canals across Thar, hence at present Thar is acknowledged as most developed party of the country.
“It is up to the Tharis to judge our performance. If they observe that we did not keep them on hollow slogans but endeavoured to redress their grievances, they should vote for PML candidates to enable us to carry on the remaining development projects,” Dr Rahim said.
Arbab Abdullah, Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo and Ram Singh Sodho also spoke on the occasion.
MIRPURKHAS, Jan 15: Former Sindh Chief Minister and president of PML-Q, Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has urged the government to include PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Sherry Rehman as well as two bodyguards of Benazir Bhutto, Rehman Dakait and Khalid Shahenshah, in the investigation into the assassination case of Ms Bhutto, and said that there could be a number of motives behind the assassination.
He was addressing a press conference after a meeting of PML-Q candidates and office-bearers of lower Sindh at the residence of Arbab Faiz Mohammad near Naokot on Tuesday, he said the investigation should focus on people who had benefited politically and financially from the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
He said that after Muharram he would resume his election campaign in Sindh and expressed the hope that his party would win with the support of coalition partners.
He said that elections would be held on schedule if no big incident occurred. He said that economic growth and progress achieved during eight years of President Pervez Musharraf had been damaged by miscreants after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Our Mithi correspondent adds: Speaking at public gathering in Virawah village near Nagarparkar, Dr Rahim has said that he and his supporters prefer the politics of patience and tolerance over the politics of revenge and believe in service to people without any discrimination.
Without naming Pakistan People’s Party, he said: “Some circles are trying to make a corpse the base of their politics to get votes and strengthen their party but what kind of politics is that.”
“One who has expired should be considered as dead and people should pin hopes on those who live,” he added.
He said: “I have not studied at Oxford but was born and educated in Thar and am aware of its culture and problems. My contribution can be gauged from the fact that … after becoming chief minister … not only I took bold stance on the issues concerning Sindh but also undertook projects of road network, electricity and water supply from canals across Thar, hence at present Thar is acknowledged as most developed party of the country.
“It is up to the Tharis to judge our performance. If they observe that we did not keep them on hollow slogans but endeavoured to redress their grievances, they should vote for PML candidates to enable us to carry on the remaining development projects,” Dr Rahim said.
Arbab Abdullah, Dr Ghulam Haider Samejo and Ram Singh Sodho also spoke on the occasion.
PPP sends plea to UN today
By Shamim-ur-Rahman
KARACHI, Jan 15: The Pakistan People’s Party would dispatch a long-awaited petition to the United Nations on Wednesday, requesting it to launch an investigation into the assassination of its slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto, said its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.
Coinciding with the dispatch of the petition, said Mr Zardari, the People’s Party would be launching an international initiative under which governments other than Pakistan’s would be explained why an investigation under the auspices of the UN was needed. Delegations would be sent to several countries, asking them to persuade Islamabad to allow a UN probe.
Speaking at a press conference in the Bilawal House, he said the government’s claim that Ms Bhutto was murdered by the operatives of Al Qaeda had lent weight to the PPP’s demand for a probe by the world body.
“The regime itself has been calling it the handiwork of Al Qaeda, which is an international organisation with bases outside Pakistan. If that indeed is the case, there is all the more reason why the UN must be requested to investigate,” remarked Mr Zardari in reply to a question.
He said he already had discussions on the subject with people like former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan and Asma Jehangir, who had supported his party’s stance. After Ms Bhutto’s assassination, the UN had expressed willingness to assist in the investigations, if requested by the Pakistan government.
Flanked by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Sherry Rehman, Raza Rabbani, Dr Fehmida Mirza, Naveed Qamar, Nafees Siddiqui, N.D. Khan and Rashid Rabbani, Mr Zardari dwelt at length on several issues, including the reasons why the PPP wanted a UN probe, his meeting with Scotland Yard investigators, allegations of pre-poll rigging against the Musharraf government and the law and order situation obtaining in the country.
He said the PPP had been calling for a
UN investigation because it had no faith in the probe ordered by the Musharraf government. Pakistani investigators were in no position to “expose the hidden but powerful hands behind the conspiracy” to eliminate Ms Bhutto. The PPP’s co-chairman was of the view that the government’s act of inviting a Scotland Yard team to look into his wife’s murder was tantamount to admitting that any probe by Pakistani agencies was inadequate.
The PPP even questioned the terms of reference of the investigations undertaken by the Scotland Yard team, he said, because they pertained only to the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and not to the “perpetrators and organisers of the plot behind it”.
Soon after the bombing during a PPP rally in Karachi on Oct 18, the UN had called upon all nations to assist in exposing “the perpetrators, financiers, planners and organisers” of the plot, said Mr Zardari. “That resolution of the UN is also binding on Pakistan.”
Speaking of the “influential suspects” who had been mentioned in a letter from Ms Bhutto to Gen Musharraf, he said Pakistani agencies were not in a position to interrogate them. Their names would be disclosed at an appropriate time, as the probe proceeded.
The People’s Party leader also referred to Ms Bhutto’s letter to Mark Seigel a few days before her assassination, which he maintained, was her “dying declaration”. This letter too could not be taken into account by Pakistani investigators.
Answering a question about his meetings with the Scotland Yard detectives, Mr Zardari said he had to come down to Karachi to meet them because the government had not allowed the investigators to visit Naudero. He said his party had placed some material before the team of British experts.
He made it clear that he and his party members would be responding to any queries made by the Scotland Yard team. He parried a question about the British detectives’ findings, saying their probe was an ongoing one and it would be premature to disclose anything at the moment.
The PPP chief said his party would behave in a responsible manner as it had always struggled for democracy and rule of law. Benazir Bhutto believed in these values and the PPP would not let her down in any way.
“The Pakistani Gorbachevs are rubbing salt into the wounds of the people and the PPP. But we will continue to struggle and safeguard the federation despite receiving bodies of martyrs.” Mr Zardari said the present leadership of the PPP was committed to the ideals of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
He said the government was trying to deceive the people over Ms Bhutto’s post-mortem, which was not carried out for a full six hours after her death. “They didn’t need my permission during that period to conduct a post-mortem. It was incumbent upon them under the medico-legal laws to get it done.”
Mr Zardari said that when he reached Rawalpindi, about six hours after his wife’s death, the authorities sought his permission to carry out a post-mortem. “But I had decided by that time to turn down their offer.”
Asked to comment on President Musharraf’s recent remarks that Ms Bhutto was not popular in the army, the PPP co-chairman said it was not Gen Ziaul Haq’s son who won elections in Rawalpindi but the PPP’s own Zamurrad Khan.
“The PPP wins elections from every cantonment, which shows how Benazir Bhutto is respected there as PPP belongs to all Pakistanis.”
In reply to a question about polls, the PPP chief said his party would not let “the Gorbachev” avoid elections. He urged the people to turn out in large numbers on Feb 18 to cast their votes.
Mr Zardari added that the Bilawal House, Karachi, was the property of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the PPP would seek his permission to establish a museum there.
KARACHI, Jan 15: The Pakistan People’s Party would dispatch a long-awaited petition to the United Nations on Wednesday, requesting it to launch an investigation into the assassination of its slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto, said its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.
Coinciding with the dispatch of the petition, said Mr Zardari, the People’s Party would be launching an international initiative under which governments other than Pakistan’s would be explained why an investigation under the auspices of the UN was needed. Delegations would be sent to several countries, asking them to persuade Islamabad to allow a UN probe.
Speaking at a press conference in the Bilawal House, he said the government’s claim that Ms Bhutto was murdered by the operatives of Al Qaeda had lent weight to the PPP’s demand for a probe by the world body.
“The regime itself has been calling it the handiwork of Al Qaeda, which is an international organisation with bases outside Pakistan. If that indeed is the case, there is all the more reason why the UN must be requested to investigate,” remarked Mr Zardari in reply to a question.
He said he already had discussions on the subject with people like former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan and Asma Jehangir, who had supported his party’s stance. After Ms Bhutto’s assassination, the UN had expressed willingness to assist in the investigations, if requested by the Pakistan government.
Flanked by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Sherry Rehman, Raza Rabbani, Dr Fehmida Mirza, Naveed Qamar, Nafees Siddiqui, N.D. Khan and Rashid Rabbani, Mr Zardari dwelt at length on several issues, including the reasons why the PPP wanted a UN probe, his meeting with Scotland Yard investigators, allegations of pre-poll rigging against the Musharraf government and the law and order situation obtaining in the country.
He said the PPP had been calling for a
UN investigation because it had no faith in the probe ordered by the Musharraf government. Pakistani investigators were in no position to “expose the hidden but powerful hands behind the conspiracy” to eliminate Ms Bhutto. The PPP’s co-chairman was of the view that the government’s act of inviting a Scotland Yard team to look into his wife’s murder was tantamount to admitting that any probe by Pakistani agencies was inadequate.
The PPP even questioned the terms of reference of the investigations undertaken by the Scotland Yard team, he said, because they pertained only to the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and not to the “perpetrators and organisers of the plot behind it”.
Soon after the bombing during a PPP rally in Karachi on Oct 18, the UN had called upon all nations to assist in exposing “the perpetrators, financiers, planners and organisers” of the plot, said Mr Zardari. “That resolution of the UN is also binding on Pakistan.”
Speaking of the “influential suspects” who had been mentioned in a letter from Ms Bhutto to Gen Musharraf, he said Pakistani agencies were not in a position to interrogate them. Their names would be disclosed at an appropriate time, as the probe proceeded.
The People’s Party leader also referred to Ms Bhutto’s letter to Mark Seigel a few days before her assassination, which he maintained, was her “dying declaration”. This letter too could not be taken into account by Pakistani investigators.
Answering a question about his meetings with the Scotland Yard detectives, Mr Zardari said he had to come down to Karachi to meet them because the government had not allowed the investigators to visit Naudero. He said his party had placed some material before the team of British experts.
He made it clear that he and his party members would be responding to any queries made by the Scotland Yard team. He parried a question about the British detectives’ findings, saying their probe was an ongoing one and it would be premature to disclose anything at the moment.
The PPP chief said his party would behave in a responsible manner as it had always struggled for democracy and rule of law. Benazir Bhutto believed in these values and the PPP would not let her down in any way.
“The Pakistani Gorbachevs are rubbing salt into the wounds of the people and the PPP. But we will continue to struggle and safeguard the federation despite receiving bodies of martyrs.” Mr Zardari said the present leadership of the PPP was committed to the ideals of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
He said the government was trying to deceive the people over Ms Bhutto’s post-mortem, which was not carried out for a full six hours after her death. “They didn’t need my permission during that period to conduct a post-mortem. It was incumbent upon them under the medico-legal laws to get it done.”
Mr Zardari said that when he reached Rawalpindi, about six hours after his wife’s death, the authorities sought his permission to carry out a post-mortem. “But I had decided by that time to turn down their offer.”
Asked to comment on President Musharraf’s recent remarks that Ms Bhutto was not popular in the army, the PPP co-chairman said it was not Gen Ziaul Haq’s son who won elections in Rawalpindi but the PPP’s own Zamurrad Khan.
“The PPP wins elections from every cantonment, which shows how Benazir Bhutto is respected there as PPP belongs to all Pakistanis.”
In reply to a question about polls, the PPP chief said his party would not let “the Gorbachev” avoid elections. He urged the people to turn out in large numbers on Feb 18 to cast their votes.
Mr Zardari added that the Bilawal House, Karachi, was the property of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the PPP would seek his permission to establish a museum there.
Resolution in US House praises Pakistan for seeking Yard’s help
By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, Jan 15: A new resolution introduced in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday commends Pakistans decision to involve the Scotland Yard in investigating the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto but does not support her party’s demand for a UN-led inquiry.
The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday morning.
The mover, Congressman Gary Ackerman, chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. The panel has jurisdiction over US policy towards Pakistan as well as all other countries located in the two regions.
PPP supporters in Washington were lobbying for a harsher resolution and wanted it to support their demand for a UN-led probe into the murder.
Since Mr Ackerman is a leading critic of the Musharraf government, the resolution had alarmed the government’s supporters in Washington as they feared that it may seek new restrictions against Islamabad.
The US Congress already has two pending resolutions on Pakistan, both strongly supporting pro-democracy forces in the country. Both the resolutions seek punitive actions against the Musharraf government for suppressing political forces and placing new restrictions on the media and the judiciary.
But the resolution, released by Mr Ackerman’s office, seeks no such restrictions. It does condemn, “in the strongest terms”, the assassination of Ms Bhutto but takes on position on contentious issues like who killed her, who should conduct the inquiry and on whether the government failed to make adequate arrangements for her security.
It “welcomes the provision of assistance by the government of the United Kingdom of expertise to the government of Pakistan in the conduct of the investigation of the attack”.
The resolution “commends the government of Pakistan for accepting such assistance and urges that government to allow experts from the United Kingdom to participate in such investigation”.
Mr Ackerman, however, said that his resolution “formally expresses to the world, the outrage and dismay of the House regarding the cruel and cowardly assassination” of Ms Bhutto. “It also expresses our unwavering support -- in the wake of this brutal attack -- for Pakistan to be restored to a full democracy.”
The resolution reaffirms the US commitment to assisting the people of Pakistan in combating terrorism, and promoting a free and democratic Pakistan.
It also supports efforts by the government of Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice those responsible for the assassination and expresses condolences to the Bhutto family and the families of all those who were killed or injured in the attack.
In addition, the resolution urges the people and government of Pakistan to be relentless in their pursuit of a democratically-elected government, including the holding of free and fair elections at the earliest possible opportunity.
Further, the measure expresses support for the freedom of the media, the ability of political parties to express their views without restriction and the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan.
In the wake of Ms Bhutto’s assassination and the continuing unrest in Pakistan, Mr Ackerman has scheduled a Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, entitled “US-Pakistan Relations: Assassination, Instability and the Future of US Policy”.
The hearing will focus on Americas future relations with Pakistan in the wake of Ms Bhutto’s assassination and the prospects for a return to political stability. In addition, the hearing will examine US assistance to Pakistan.
WASHINGTON, Jan 15: A new resolution introduced in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday commends Pakistans decision to involve the Scotland Yard in investigating the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto but does not support her party’s demand for a UN-led inquiry.
The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday morning.
The mover, Congressman Gary Ackerman, chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. The panel has jurisdiction over US policy towards Pakistan as well as all other countries located in the two regions.
PPP supporters in Washington were lobbying for a harsher resolution and wanted it to support their demand for a UN-led probe into the murder.
Since Mr Ackerman is a leading critic of the Musharraf government, the resolution had alarmed the government’s supporters in Washington as they feared that it may seek new restrictions against Islamabad.
The US Congress already has two pending resolutions on Pakistan, both strongly supporting pro-democracy forces in the country. Both the resolutions seek punitive actions against the Musharraf government for suppressing political forces and placing new restrictions on the media and the judiciary.
But the resolution, released by Mr Ackerman’s office, seeks no such restrictions. It does condemn, “in the strongest terms”, the assassination of Ms Bhutto but takes on position on contentious issues like who killed her, who should conduct the inquiry and on whether the government failed to make adequate arrangements for her security.
It “welcomes the provision of assistance by the government of the United Kingdom of expertise to the government of Pakistan in the conduct of the investigation of the attack”.
The resolution “commends the government of Pakistan for accepting such assistance and urges that government to allow experts from the United Kingdom to participate in such investigation”.
Mr Ackerman, however, said that his resolution “formally expresses to the world, the outrage and dismay of the House regarding the cruel and cowardly assassination” of Ms Bhutto. “It also expresses our unwavering support -- in the wake of this brutal attack -- for Pakistan to be restored to a full democracy.”
The resolution reaffirms the US commitment to assisting the people of Pakistan in combating terrorism, and promoting a free and democratic Pakistan.
It also supports efforts by the government of Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice those responsible for the assassination and expresses condolences to the Bhutto family and the families of all those who were killed or injured in the attack.
In addition, the resolution urges the people and government of Pakistan to be relentless in their pursuit of a democratically-elected government, including the holding of free and fair elections at the earliest possible opportunity.
Further, the measure expresses support for the freedom of the media, the ability of political parties to express their views without restriction and the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan.
In the wake of Ms Bhutto’s assassination and the continuing unrest in Pakistan, Mr Ackerman has scheduled a Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, entitled “US-Pakistan Relations: Assassination, Instability and the Future of US Policy”.
The hearing will focus on Americas future relations with Pakistan in the wake of Ms Bhutto’s assassination and the prospects for a return to political stability. In addition, the hearing will examine US assistance to Pakistan.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Zardari in Karachi to meet UK investigators
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 14: Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari made a surprise visit to the metropolis on Monday evening to meet the Scotland Yard team and the British High Commissioner.
PPP Central Information Secretary Sherry Rehman rejected rumours about a meeting between Mr Zardari and President Musharraf as ‘disinformation and baseless speculation’.
Ms Rehman said Mr Zardari was visiting Karachi to meet the British High Commissioner and members of the Scotland Yard team conducting an investigation into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning. British officials had not been granted permission and security clearance by the Pakistan government to travel to Naudero.
Ms Rehman said her party remained committed to its demand for a wider international probe into the events that led to the December 27 tragedy and continued to seek a UN-led inquiry to find out the sponsors, organisers, financiers and perpetrators behind the murder of its chairperson.
“Benazir Bhutto was a leader of international stature. Her assassination represents an attack on the stability and federal structure of Pakistan. It represents an attack on the politics of peace and democracy for the entire region, and the forces that conspired to kill her are the same forces that seek the destruction of Pakistan, which poses a clear and present danger for the region.
“The party will use all its resources to seek the UN-led independent international probe into this heinous act of terrorism and bring the culprits, as well as the hidden hands behind it, to justice,” she said.
KARACHI, Jan 14: Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari made a surprise visit to the metropolis on Monday evening to meet the Scotland Yard team and the British High Commissioner.
PPP Central Information Secretary Sherry Rehman rejected rumours about a meeting between Mr Zardari and President Musharraf as ‘disinformation and baseless speculation’.
Ms Rehman said Mr Zardari was visiting Karachi to meet the British High Commissioner and members of the Scotland Yard team conducting an investigation into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning. British officials had not been granted permission and security clearance by the Pakistan government to travel to Naudero.
Ms Rehman said her party remained committed to its demand for a wider international probe into the events that led to the December 27 tragedy and continued to seek a UN-led inquiry to find out the sponsors, organisers, financiers and perpetrators behind the murder of its chairperson.
“Benazir Bhutto was a leader of international stature. Her assassination represents an attack on the stability and federal structure of Pakistan. It represents an attack on the politics of peace and democracy for the entire region, and the forces that conspired to kill her are the same forces that seek the destruction of Pakistan, which poses a clear and present danger for the region.
“The party will use all its resources to seek the UN-led independent international probe into this heinous act of terrorism and bring the culprits, as well as the hidden hands behind it, to justice,” she said.
Six UK experts leave to analyse evidence
By Mohammad Asghar
RAWALPINDI, Jan 14: Six investigators of the Scotland Yard team helping the local authorities in investigation into the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto left for the United Kingdom on Monday to analyse evidence collected so far, official sources said.
“They have gone back to the UK to analyse whatever they have collected from here and are expected back on Jan 27,” the sources said.
Four members of the team who have stayed here will resume their work after a day’s break on Wednesday.
The investigators took to the UK with them samples of human tissues, evidence collected from the site of the blast and brain matter from Ms Bhutto’s car. They will analyse the material collected from the car.
“The investigators had sent some of the samples through
courier service while they took the remaining material with them,” the source said. “They will reconstruct the crime scene in three dimensions and analyse it.”
Two Scotland Yard investigators went to the Combined Military Hospital and met Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishtiaq Hussain Shah, who was wounded during the gun and suicide bomb attack on Ms Bhutto on Dec 27.
The investigators stayed with the police official for nearly one hour. Later they went to the pathology laboratory and examined some body parts believed to be of the suicide bomber.
On Sunday, the investigators had visited the site of the attack and two government hospitals -- one where Ms Bhutto had been taken and the other where the remaining injured were treated.
During their visit to Liaquat Bagh, the investigators installed electronic devices on rooftops within a radius of 200 metres from the site, taking photographs.
The team examined the parking area where Ms Bhutto’s vehicle had come under attack.
In the Rawalpindi General Hospital, two of the experts were taken to the emergency section and the operation theatre.
Sources in the hospital said the foreign experts talked to the radiologists who had taken Ms Bhutto’s X-rays. An investigator also talked with other hospital staff.
The foreign experts asked questions regarding the timing of X-rays, the sources said.
“The atmosphere in the operation theatre was quite different from Dec 27 as several things have been changed,” the sources claimed.
A forensics expert went to the District Headquarters Hospital and examined two human legs – a pair of sandals and two socks believed to be of the suicide bomber.
The forensic expert took tissue samples from the legs and some photographs.
A police official told the expert he believed that the same type of sandals had been found in two earlier suicide bombings.
RAWALPINDI, Jan 14: Six investigators of the Scotland Yard team helping the local authorities in investigation into the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto left for the United Kingdom on Monday to analyse evidence collected so far, official sources said.
“They have gone back to the UK to analyse whatever they have collected from here and are expected back on Jan 27,” the sources said.
Four members of the team who have stayed here will resume their work after a day’s break on Wednesday.
The investigators took to the UK with them samples of human tissues, evidence collected from the site of the blast and brain matter from Ms Bhutto’s car. They will analyse the material collected from the car.
“The investigators had sent some of the samples through
courier service while they took the remaining material with them,” the source said. “They will reconstruct the crime scene in three dimensions and analyse it.”
Two Scotland Yard investigators went to the Combined Military Hospital and met Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishtiaq Hussain Shah, who was wounded during the gun and suicide bomb attack on Ms Bhutto on Dec 27.
The investigators stayed with the police official for nearly one hour. Later they went to the pathology laboratory and examined some body parts believed to be of the suicide bomber.
On Sunday, the investigators had visited the site of the attack and two government hospitals -- one where Ms Bhutto had been taken and the other where the remaining injured were treated.
During their visit to Liaquat Bagh, the investigators installed electronic devices on rooftops within a radius of 200 metres from the site, taking photographs.
The team examined the parking area where Ms Bhutto’s vehicle had come under attack.
In the Rawalpindi General Hospital, two of the experts were taken to the emergency section and the operation theatre.
Sources in the hospital said the foreign experts talked to the radiologists who had taken Ms Bhutto’s X-rays. An investigator also talked with other hospital staff.
The foreign experts asked questions regarding the timing of X-rays, the sources said.
“The atmosphere in the operation theatre was quite different from Dec 27 as several things have been changed,” the sources claimed.
A forensics expert went to the District Headquarters Hospital and examined two human legs – a pair of sandals and two socks believed to be of the suicide bomber.
The forensic expert took tissue samples from the legs and some photographs.
A police official told the expert he believed that the same type of sandals had been found in two earlier suicide bombings.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
KARACHI: Sniffer dogs not used for VIP security: Oct 18 security lapse
By Imran Ayub
KARACHI, Jan 13: The law enforcement agencies responsible for the security of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming procession on Oct 18 did not use sniffer dogs in their attempt to keep suicide bombers at bay, it has emerged.
Facts gathered from senior police officers, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel and Pakistan Rangers suggest that the authorities only used conventional methods to comb Sharea Faisal ahead of the procession of the former premier, which had never been effective to eliminate suicide bomb threats, which were warned of by the federal and provincial home ministries on Ms Bhutto’s return.
“Actually the BDS squad was there on Sharea Faisal to give clearance before the procession passed that area,” said an official on condition of anonymity. “The Karsaz area was also cleared by the BDS but the suicide bombers might have been on the move to avoid the BDS checks.”
However, he agreed that the sniffer dogs could have been the best tool to detect moving explosives, and in the procession like Oct 18’s, they could have proved more effective.
But, he added, the police did not have a single such animal despite rising threats of suicide bombings.
“Neither did police seek Rangers’ services, which have some eight such trained dogs capable of detecting explosives of any kind and in any form,” said the official. “The clearance for the bomb or explosive threats was the sole responsibility of police’s BDS, which was not capable of clearing each and every person in the moving procession, but trained sniffer dogs could operate in situations like those.”
The official’s comments matched a statement given by a senior officer of the Special Branch that the department had no equipment to detect suicide bombers in the crowd.
Before a tribunal investigating the Oct 18 Karsaz blasts, SSP Security Shahab Mazhar Bhalli said the BDS teams were not equipped with special instruments to detect humans carrying explosives.
Since the suicide bombing is considered as one of the most dangerous and unpreventable methods used by the terrorists for their targets, experts believe the current BDS setup being run under the Special Branch does not have the capacity to detect moving explosives.
“In huge processions and gatherings, effectiveness of trained sniffer dogs cannot be matched with other devices,” said a Rangers official. “Currently, in Karachi we have eight such dogs, which we use to clear Thar Express trains, processions of different kinds, international cricket matches, and on requests of different government organizations.”
However, he said, Rangers were not asked for the job on Oct 18, as they were only assigned the job of airport security, which they managed very well.
“We also use the dogs for VIP security and during visits of foreign sport teams to Karachi for sporting events,” he further explained, and disclosed that the level of protocol offered to the former premier was much below the VIP security merited.
He said the dogs could not only spot a human being carrying explosives in the crowd, but also had the ability to detect such devices five feet under the ground.
In such a situation, the question arises why the facility of sniffer dogs had not been acquired by police despite the threats and growing incidents of terrorism, including suicide bombings.
The question remained unanswered as no relevant official of police’ Special Branch could be contacted to seek an explanation despite several attempts. However, sources maintained that the department had taken several such initiatives in the past, but the red tape scuttled them.
“Recently there was a proposal to acquire such a facility (trained sniffer dogs) and a team of senior police officers kept liaison with Rangers officials for some time in this regard, but it came to an end without achieving any results,” said a source close to the top police hierarchy.
KARACHI, Jan 13: The law enforcement agencies responsible for the security of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming procession on Oct 18 did not use sniffer dogs in their attempt to keep suicide bombers at bay, it has emerged.
Facts gathered from senior police officers, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel and Pakistan Rangers suggest that the authorities only used conventional methods to comb Sharea Faisal ahead of the procession of the former premier, which had never been effective to eliminate suicide bomb threats, which were warned of by the federal and provincial home ministries on Ms Bhutto’s return.
“Actually the BDS squad was there on Sharea Faisal to give clearance before the procession passed that area,” said an official on condition of anonymity. “The Karsaz area was also cleared by the BDS but the suicide bombers might have been on the move to avoid the BDS checks.”
However, he agreed that the sniffer dogs could have been the best tool to detect moving explosives, and in the procession like Oct 18’s, they could have proved more effective.
But, he added, the police did not have a single such animal despite rising threats of suicide bombings.
“Neither did police seek Rangers’ services, which have some eight such trained dogs capable of detecting explosives of any kind and in any form,” said the official. “The clearance for the bomb or explosive threats was the sole responsibility of police’s BDS, which was not capable of clearing each and every person in the moving procession, but trained sniffer dogs could operate in situations like those.”
The official’s comments matched a statement given by a senior officer of the Special Branch that the department had no equipment to detect suicide bombers in the crowd.
Before a tribunal investigating the Oct 18 Karsaz blasts, SSP Security Shahab Mazhar Bhalli said the BDS teams were not equipped with special instruments to detect humans carrying explosives.
Since the suicide bombing is considered as one of the most dangerous and unpreventable methods used by the terrorists for their targets, experts believe the current BDS setup being run under the Special Branch does not have the capacity to detect moving explosives.
“In huge processions and gatherings, effectiveness of trained sniffer dogs cannot be matched with other devices,” said a Rangers official. “Currently, in Karachi we have eight such dogs, which we use to clear Thar Express trains, processions of different kinds, international cricket matches, and on requests of different government organizations.”
However, he said, Rangers were not asked for the job on Oct 18, as they were only assigned the job of airport security, which they managed very well.
“We also use the dogs for VIP security and during visits of foreign sport teams to Karachi for sporting events,” he further explained, and disclosed that the level of protocol offered to the former premier was much below the VIP security merited.
He said the dogs could not only spot a human being carrying explosives in the crowd, but also had the ability to detect such devices five feet under the ground.
In such a situation, the question arises why the facility of sniffer dogs had not been acquired by police despite the threats and growing incidents of terrorism, including suicide bombings.
The question remained unanswered as no relevant official of police’ Special Branch could be contacted to seek an explanation despite several attempts. However, sources maintained that the department had taken several such initiatives in the past, but the red tape scuttled them.
“Recently there was a proposal to acquire such a facility (trained sniffer dogs) and a team of senior police officers kept liaison with Rangers officials for some time in this regard, but it came to an end without achieving any results,” said a source close to the top police hierarchy.
Al Qaeda assassinated Benazir: report
By Our Special Correspondent
LONDON, Jan 13: Evidence amassed by Scotland Yard detectives points towards Al Qaeda militants being responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Sunday Times said quoting British officials.
But the ST report also quoted Scotland Yard insisting that its task was not to establish who killed her but only how she died.
“Even that is not straightforward. They cannot examine the body, and the crime scene and Bhutto’s vehicle were both scrubbed within hours,” said the author of the report Christina Lamb.
Ms Lamb recalled that Musharraf’s interior ministry had released a transcript of a purported telephone conversation between Mehsud and a militant cleric in which, though Bhutto’s name was not mentioned, he appeared to congratulate him on the death, saying: “Fantastic job. Very brave boys, the ones who killed her.”
“The transcript was met with scepticism. Critics pointed out Mehsud had previously been working with the Pakistan military, receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars and that if the country’s intelligence services could tape his conversations, they should be able to capture him,” said the ST report.
However, according to the same report, British and American officials, who have examined the transcript, say they believe it is genuine and share Musharraf’s view that Mehsud is behind most of the suicide bombings in Pakistan.
LONDON, Jan 13: Evidence amassed by Scotland Yard detectives points towards Al Qaeda militants being responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Sunday Times said quoting British officials.
But the ST report also quoted Scotland Yard insisting that its task was not to establish who killed her but only how she died.
“Even that is not straightforward. They cannot examine the body, and the crime scene and Bhutto’s vehicle were both scrubbed within hours,” said the author of the report Christina Lamb.
Ms Lamb recalled that Musharraf’s interior ministry had released a transcript of a purported telephone conversation between Mehsud and a militant cleric in which, though Bhutto’s name was not mentioned, he appeared to congratulate him on the death, saying: “Fantastic job. Very brave boys, the ones who killed her.”
“The transcript was met with scepticism. Critics pointed out Mehsud had previously been working with the Pakistan military, receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars and that if the country’s intelligence services could tape his conversations, they should be able to capture him,” said the ST report.
However, according to the same report, British and American officials, who have examined the transcript, say they believe it is genuine and share Musharraf’s view that Mehsud is behind most of the suicide bombings in Pakistan.
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.”
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.”
PPP to approach United Nations for investigation
By M.B. Kalhoro
LARKANA, Jan 12: The Pakistan People’s Party will on its own send a request to the UN for setting up a commission to probe Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
Sources told Dawn here on Saturday that a 48-hour ultimatum given to the government by the PPP for submitting the request had expired. The party said it had not received any reply from the government.
The party sources said President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview to a French newspaper, had clearly said the government would not request the UN for a commission.
Asked why had the party not made a request to the president, as its letter was addressed to the caretaker prime minister, the source said “even from him no reply came”.
The PPP also plans to send delegations to a number of countries to urge them to pressure the government to allow a UN-led investigation.
LARKANA, Jan 12: The Pakistan People’s Party will on its own send a request to the UN for setting up a commission to probe Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
Sources told Dawn here on Saturday that a 48-hour ultimatum given to the government by the PPP for submitting the request had expired. The party said it had not received any reply from the government.
The party sources said President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview to a French newspaper, had clearly said the government would not request the UN for a commission.
Asked why had the party not made a request to the president, as its letter was addressed to the caretaker prime minister, the source said “even from him no reply came”.
The PPP also plans to send delegations to a number of countries to urge them to pressure the government to allow a UN-led investigation.
Musharraf rules out UN probe into Benazir murder
ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: President Pervez Musharraf ruled out a United Nations probe into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in an interview with a French newspaper published on Saturday.
Musharraf told Le Figaro that UN involvement was out of the question, and that the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's murder would be handled internally with the help of British police from Scotland Yard.
Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, and her son, Bilawal, have both called for a UN inquiry, along the lines of the world body's probe into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
“This is not possible. Another country is involved? Pakistan is not Lebanon,” Musharraf said in a transcript released by the government, referring to the implication of Syrian officials in the Hariri killing.
“It's a simple murder. We have our own institutions and we can count on the help of Scotland Yard. I hope that the investigation report will be made public before the elections,” he added.
Bilawal said last week that the family and the Pakistan People's Party wanted a “UN-sponsored investigation, because we do not believe that an investigation under the authority of the Pakistan government has the necessary transparency.”
Musharraf insisted the elections would go ahead and, while acknowledging an Al Qaeda campaign to destabilise Pakistan, denied the country was “on the verge of disintegration.” “They (the elections) will be held whatever happens. We have to defeat (the) terrorists' campaign aimed at derailing the democratic and economic process,” he said.
Musharraf, meanwhile, said he would quit if he really believed that he no longer had the support of most Pakistanis, but that reports of his unpopularity were untrue.
“I know very well what is the support that I have from the masses, the elite and the army. The day I think that I am genuinely unpopular, I will be the first to resign,” he told Le Figaro.
Meanwhile, a president's spokesman said on Saturday that there was no point in demanding a UN probe into the death of Benazir Bhutto as the case did not fit into the standards for such investigation.
“Such a probe is more appropriate in cases where two or more countries are involved,” Maj-Gen (Retd) Rashid Qureshi, president's spokesman, said in response to a demand by the Pakistan People's Party for a United Nations probe into the Dec 27 assassination of Ms Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
Qureshi told a private channel that the PPP's demand of a Hariri style investigation did not fit in the circumstances of the Liaquat Bagh incident.
The spokesman said the president had already invited the team of British investigators into Pakistan to provide necessary technical and forensic assistance to the local investigators.
He said the United Nations too will have to seek assistance from different countries to help in the probe and Pakistan has already acquired the assistance of British investigators.
He said the British team was mandated to conduct a thorough investigation to determine all aspects of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.—AFP/APP
Musharraf told Le Figaro that UN involvement was out of the question, and that the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's murder would be handled internally with the help of British police from Scotland Yard.
Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, and her son, Bilawal, have both called for a UN inquiry, along the lines of the world body's probe into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
“This is not possible. Another country is involved? Pakistan is not Lebanon,” Musharraf said in a transcript released by the government, referring to the implication of Syrian officials in the Hariri killing.
“It's a simple murder. We have our own institutions and we can count on the help of Scotland Yard. I hope that the investigation report will be made public before the elections,” he added.
Bilawal said last week that the family and the Pakistan People's Party wanted a “UN-sponsored investigation, because we do not believe that an investigation under the authority of the Pakistan government has the necessary transparency.”
Musharraf insisted the elections would go ahead and, while acknowledging an Al Qaeda campaign to destabilise Pakistan, denied the country was “on the verge of disintegration.” “They (the elections) will be held whatever happens. We have to defeat (the) terrorists' campaign aimed at derailing the democratic and economic process,” he said.
Musharraf, meanwhile, said he would quit if he really believed that he no longer had the support of most Pakistanis, but that reports of his unpopularity were untrue.
“I know very well what is the support that I have from the masses, the elite and the army. The day I think that I am genuinely unpopular, I will be the first to resign,” he told Le Figaro.
Meanwhile, a president's spokesman said on Saturday that there was no point in demanding a UN probe into the death of Benazir Bhutto as the case did not fit into the standards for such investigation.
“Such a probe is more appropriate in cases where two or more countries are involved,” Maj-Gen (Retd) Rashid Qureshi, president's spokesman, said in response to a demand by the Pakistan People's Party for a United Nations probe into the Dec 27 assassination of Ms Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
Qureshi told a private channel that the PPP's demand of a Hariri style investigation did not fit in the circumstances of the Liaquat Bagh incident.
The spokesman said the president had already invited the team of British investigators into Pakistan to provide necessary technical and forensic assistance to the local investigators.
He said the United Nations too will have to seek assistance from different countries to help in the probe and Pakistan has already acquired the assistance of British investigators.
He said the British team was mandated to conduct a thorough investigation to determine all aspects of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.—AFP/APP
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