Zardari gives more work to BB murder probe team

ISLAMABAD: Expressing dissatisfaction over a three-member fact-finding committee’s report, President Asif Zardari has expanded the purview of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to fix criminal liability against those who had ordered washing the crime scene within one-and-a-half hours after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto outside Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007, sources in the presidency told Dawn.

Although the committee’s report has not been made public, sources suggest that it has provided a clean chit to former Military Intelligence (MI) chief Maj-Gen Nadeem Ijaz, who was accused by the UN commission of ordering police to hose down the venue of the assassination.

According to the committee’s chief, Cabinet Secretary Chaudhry Abdul Rauf, the report has been handed over to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who had constituted the committee to ascertain within seven days on whose order the crime scene had been washed.

However, the sources said that the presidency had been informed that the prime minister had not received the report so far.

It has been learnt that the JIT working under the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is separately investigating the hosing down of the place.

It is feared that an unpleasant situation may surface if the findings of the JIT differ from the report of the committee which did not fix criminal responsibility on anyone, including the former DG of the MI and senior police officers.

The sources said that President Zardari had also expressed dissatisfaction over the ‘limited’ task given to the three-member committee instead of being asked to conduct a comprehensive investigation to expose the planners, abettors, financiers, facilitators and killers involved in Ms Bhutto’s assassination.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering of Pakistan People’s Party’s office-bearers, ticket-holders and councillors belonging to Sheikhupura division here on Wednesday, the president said the United Nations inquiry commission had strengthened the government’s hands to pursue the investigations vigorously and expose the culprits.

“Investigations will soon be completed and made public,” he said.

According to presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, he said: “Some people had objected to our decision to request a UN inquiry commission, but we believe that an international inquiry was necessary for placing the facts in a correct perspective for historical record”.

The president said that the ruling party was seeking to avenge the assassination by strengthening democracy and the UN report would serve this purpose.

Mr Zardari said one of the greatest achievements of the government was the 18th Amendment for restoring parliament’s powers in accordance with the unanimous Constitution given to the country in 1973 by the PPP.

He said Ms Bhutto had shed her blood for restoring the rights of the people and parliament and her party had accepted the challenge of those who were opposing constitutional reforms, parliament’s sovereignty and people’s rights.

Hundreds of PPP workers and several leaders and ministers were present on the occasion.

The president said he would hold more meetings with party workers at the divisional level.