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More British police to help probe Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan
10/1/2008 10:24

Another group of Scotland Yard investigators arrived in Pakistan yesterday to assist in the inquiry into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the News Network International news agency reported.

The three-member team would join their seven colleagues who have been in Pakistan since Jan. 4, said the report.

The British police have been providing technical assistance to Pakistani investigators to hold inquiry into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who was killed on Dec. 27 after she addressed a big public meeting in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

President Pervez Musharraf said last week he was "not fully satisfied" with the investigation into the killing by the Pakistani police and had requested to the British prime minister to send Scotland Yard detectives.

Bhutto's People's Party (PPP) has called for a wider inquiry by the United Nations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on Monday that Pakistan had not approached the UN for Bhutto's murder probe.

The team from Scotland Yard has visited the scene of Ms Bhutto's murder and also recorded statements of an injured police officer on duty as well as injured party activists. They have also examined the bullet-proof car of Bhutto and body parts of the suicide bomber.

The Scotland Yard called on Musharraf on Tuesday and sought his support for their investigation. Musharraf assured the British police that he wanted to reach the bottom as to who were behind Bhutto's assassination.

Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said there were no restrictions on the movement of the British police and that they could stay as long as they wanted.

There has been different accounts of what caused Bhutto's death. Local media quoted PPP sources as saying that Bhutto was killed by gun shots. While an initial government report said she was killed by smashing her head on the sunroof lever of her vehicle when dodging the attack.



Xinhua