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Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that a Scotland Yard team from Britain would come "immediately" to Pakistan to help probe the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
The announcement came hours after the election commission pushed back general elections by six weeks to February 18.
"In all four provinces, for some days this election process came to a complete halt," Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq told a news conference. "Polling will now be held on February 18 instead of January 8."
Musharraf's announcement in a televised address to the nation comes after intense controversy over the circumstances over the former premier's death in a gun and suicide bomb attack at an election rally last Thursday. "We have decided to invite a team from Scotland Yard in Britain. I am grateful to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, when I put up this request, he agreed," Musharraf said.
"This team will be coming to Pakistan immediately and they will help in our investigation," he said, adding that the attack had been carried out by the same "terrorists" behind a wave of other attacks in the country. Musharraf said the team would "help to cover our deficiencies in the field of forensics."
Musharraf's decision to call in British help was scorned by Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, who has called for a UN investigation along the lines of the probe into the killing of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri.
Your comments
The decision can't prove that President Musharraf is a well wisher of Pakistan and Benazir Bhutto. He is taking such an action only because of pressure from the Pakistani people who have lost a great leader.
Nazar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 03, 2008, 17:19
I expected this from President Pervez Musharraf because I know he is a man of honour and wouldn't allow anyone to question his integrity and honesty. I have firm belief in his leadership.
Adnan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 03, 2008, 17:08
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