UK police join Bhutto´s death probe

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-05-2008 09:49

A team of British police has arrived in Pakistan to join an investigation into the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. President Pervez Musharraf has rejected any suggestion that security agencies were behind Bhutto's assassination. He says she had been warned about threats from Islamist militants.

Members of a team of British police from  Scotland Yard arrive at Islamabad International  Airport Jan. 4, 2008. A team of British police  arrived in Pakistan on Friday to join an  investigation into the assassination of opposition  leader Benazir Bhutto. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A small team from London's Scotland Yard arrived at Islamabad airport on Thursday but the policemen declined to speak with reporters.

President Pervez Musharraf had asked British police on Wednesday to assist in the investigations amid growing controversy about how Bhutto was killed.

At a news conference in Islamabad, Musharraf said that authorities were not responsible for a security lapse that led to the killing of Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide-bomb attack in Rawalpindi on December 27.

Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani President said "No intelligence organization of Pakistan I think is capable of indoctrinating a man to blow himself up. I don't think anyone has this capability to motivate or indoctrinate a person to blow himself up and carry out a suicide bombing attack. It is only done by certain people who know how to handle such people, who indoctrinate, who can affect their mind and who had been affecting the minds of these unfortunately illiterate misled youth".

Musharraf said he was not fully satisfied with the investigation into Bhutto's murder. He added that new photographs and video of the killing had turned up but gave no details.

Meanwhile, thousands of tribesmen gathered in support of radical Islamic group "Lashkar-e-Islam" or "Army of Islam" in Bara, the main town of the Khyber tribal agency, as Musharraf denied reports that al-Qaida was getting stronger in Pakistan.

Lashkar-e-Islam's chief had invited the candidates to the Khyber agency in order to let people hear the different campaign platforms in a controlled environment.

Mangal Bagh, Chief Lashkar-E-Islam said "We are doing this to protect our people from the troubles. Before, the candidates were spending money on posters and for election gatherings. Due to this the people of the area face many problems. The peace in our area now is an example: we gather the candidates in one place."

President Musharraf said that Pakistan faced an increasing threat from Taliban militants and blamed 2 Islamic militant leaders, Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah, for 19 suicide attacks in the past three months.

Editor:Xiong Qu