New Delhi: After flip-flops on the assassination of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said Scotland Yard will assist in the investigations into her death.
“We have requested UK to send a team from Scotland Yard and help in the investigations and am grateful to Gordan Brown who has accepted this request,” he said.
Scotland Yard, on its part, will be sending a counter terrorism team to Rawalpindi. "We confirm that at the request of the Pakistan Government a small team of officers from the MPS Counter Terrorism Command will be travelling to Pakistan to provide support and assistance in the investigation into the death of Ms Benazir Bhutto. The officers will travel to Pakistan as soon as possible," said the Scotland Yard spokesman.
On a day when Pakistani election officials announced they were delaying parliamentary elections for six weeks until February 18, Musharraf, in a public address, said the EC had suffered heavy losses in Sindh, therefore, its decision was a necessity.
“Election Commission related material, office and property has been destroyed which has made it difficult for EC to hold elections as per schedule. Vested Groups have exploited the situation. This loss cannot be tolerated and an inquiry to be conducted to find out who were the miscreants involved into the violence that erupted after Benazir Bhutto's death,” he said.
He, however, claimed free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections would still be conducted in Pakistan, appealing the people of Pakistan to maintain peace and law and order in the country. “I want to promote democracy and curb terrorism,” he said.
“Army and rangers deployed across Pakistan would be used during elections and after elections to maintain law and order in the country,” he added.
Condoling former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto's death, Musharraf said “some unsocial elements took advantage of Benazir's death and resorted to loot, violence and loss to the public property and people.”
Opposition parties accused Pakistan's government Wednesday of delaying elections to avoid likely defeat and said they feared the move could lead to more violence in a country still shaken by Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
Following Musharraf’s address, Benazir’s husband Asif Ali Zardari lashed out at the President questioning why Scotland Yard was not invited to investigate when she was attacked in Karachi. “We condemn that polls have been delayed but we will participate in the elections,” he said.
The elections had been scheduled for January 8, but Qazi Mohammed Farooq, head of the EC, said it would be impossible to hold the polls on that day because of the violence and chaos that followed the assassination of Benazir.
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