Tough questions are being raised now. I thought it was Al qaeda. Regardless of who it was does not change the principle of things. Musharraf is respobsible for bringing Pakistan to this point. It’s the worse period in Pakistan’s history. A govt. for which it is easier to kill Pakistanis. malign Pakistanis, and invite negative attention than stand up for the lives of its citizens can never be trusted.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071230/ap_on_re_as/pakistan
** Pakistan rejected an outside investigation into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Saturday, despite controversy over the circumstances of her death and three days of paralyzing turmoil.
The Islamic militant group blamed by officials for the attack denied any links to the killing on Saturday, and Bhutto’s aides accused the government of a cover-up.
The growing questions about Bhutto’s assassination have led to calls for an international, independent investigation. While the government dismissed that idea, U.S. officials said Pakistan was quietly consulting with other countries about the conduct of the probe, suggesting the country wants to ensure its findings are seen as credible.
Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema defended the government’s ability to carry out its investigation.
“This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it,” he said.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that an international probe into Bhutto’s death was vital because there was “no reason to trust the Pakistani government.” Others called for a U.N. investigation.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Pakistan had not official requested U.S. help.
“It’s a responsibility of the government of Pakistan to ensure that the investigation is thorough. If Pakistani authorities ask for assistance we would review the request,” he said.
There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistani officials.
The government blamed the attack on Baitullah Mehsud, head of the Tehrik-i-Taliban, a newly formed coalition of Islamic militants along the Afghan border believed to be linked to al-Qaida and committed to waging holy war against the government.
But a spokesman for Mehsud, Maulana Mohammed Umer, dismissed the allegations as “government propaganda.”
“We strongly deny it. Baitullah Mehsud is not involved in the killing of Benazir Bhutto,” he said in a telephone call he made to The Associated Press from the tribal region of South Waziristan. “The fact is that we are only against America, and we don’t consider political leaders of Pakistan our enemy.”
Bhutto’s aides said they, too, doubted Mehsud was involved and accused the government of a cover-up.
“The story that al-Qaida or Baitullah Mehsud did it appears to us to be a planted story, an incorrect story, because they want to divert the attention,” said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto’s party.
After an October suicide attack targeted her in the city of Karachi, Bhutto accused elements in the ruling party of plotting to kill her. The government denied the claims, and Babar said Bhutto’s allegations were never investigated.
(1) Authorities initially said Bhutto died from bullet wounds. (2) A surgeon who treated her later said the impact from shrapnel on her skull killed her.
(3) But Cheema said Friday that Bhutto was killed when the shockwaves from the bomb smashed her head into the sunroof as she tried to duck back inside the vehicle.
Bhutto’s spokeswoman Sherry Rehman, who was in the vehicle that rushed her boss to the hospital, disputed that.
“She was bleeding profusely, as she had received a bullet wound in her neck. My car was full of blood. Three doctors at the hospital told us that she had received bullet wounds. I was among the people who gave her a final bath. We saw a bullet wound in the back of her neck,” she said. “What the government is saying is actually dangerous and nonsensical. They are pouring salt on our wounds. There are no findings, they are just lying.” **
Cheema’s words, "“This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it,” he said.
Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Who asks for international help and CSIs for ordinary deaths? lolz