By By Dilshad Azeem
1/6/2008 ISLAMABAD: An implied threat to sue the Interior Ministry by the manufacturers of Benazir Bhutto’s bullet-proof Land Cruiser quickly killed the “death by lever” theory, launched by Brig (retd) Cheema, and also led to a soft apology by the interior minister and a firm statement by President Musharraf that giving a judgment so soon was wrong.
“The manufacturing company threatened to sue the Pakistan government and bring it before the international court of law for what it claimed damages done following the allegation that the cause of the death was the lever of the vehicle in use of assassinated PPP chairperson,” sources told The News here on Saturday.
The manufacturers approached the government the day after the Interior Ministry’s statement that Ms Bhutto died of a skull fracture caused by a lever attached to the sunroof of her bullet-proof vehicle.
“The company withdrew its plan of suing the government over damages only after it was conveyed promptly that the government had changed its view and stopped issuing more statements in this regard,” the sources further said.
Benazir Bhutto was using the Toyota Company’s Land Cruiser B-6 when she was assassinated in Rawalpindi on December 27 in firing and suicide bombing, and the tragic incident sparked controversies besides countrywide riots.
The sources further said that Toyota Motors Corporation of Japan, the manufacturing company having worldwide influence, had extended a naked threat to the Pakistan government through Japanese officials in Islamabad.
“It was conveyed that the company would not hesitate to come up with a suit in case Ms Bhutto’s death was attributed to unfounded manufacturing faults of the Land Cruiser.”
The Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Cheema, when contacted by this correspondent, said he had made the statement based on the medical report of the doctors who treated Mohtarma on December 27 at the Rawalpindi General Hospital (RGH).
“Neither can you say that we have withdrawn the statement nor you can declare it invalid,” was his response when asked about the status of his first statement regarding Benazir’s death due to a lever.
But President Musharraf expressed displeasure at Cheema’s statement, saying he should not have issued a final verdict on the cause of the death.
At this stage, Cheema elaborated that Scotland Yard had started investigations into the incident.
“Therefore, we should avoid comment as a probe is under way. We should wait for the outcome of the inquiry of the Scotland Yard team.”
When insisted, he said as far as his knowledge was concerned, the Japanese company had not formally approached the interior ministry, lodging a protest.
“That was modified armoured vehicle.”
Benazir Bhutto’s Chief Security Adviser Rehman Malik said it was impossible that the lever or any part of the vehicle under use of Benazir Bhutto could have caused the damage.
“It is totally rubbish that the lever hit caused the death of Mohtarma.”
Malik disclosed that the Land Cruiser B-6 was bought from Sharjah.
"This was chosen by me and Mohtarma from Sharjah by mutual consent as there was
no other vehicle safer than this one."
He maintained that Land Cruiser B-7 version was considered to be the best from the security point of view but that was not available though “I and Mohtarma checked the world market”.
At the same time, The News also contacted Public Relations Officer of the Indus Motors dealing with the Toyota motor business in Pakistan.
Shah Saad Hussain said, “We have not approached the government over the issue as the said vehicle was not purchased from Pakistan.”
Shah Saad said the government was carrying out investigations into the matter and therefore he did not want to make any comment on it. “No comment is our reaction,” he said.
Other officials of the Toyota motors confirmed that the armoured Land Cruiser of Benazir Bhutto was imported by the PPP or the government. “It was not bought from us, from Pakistan,” one of the officials said.
One of them, namely Asim Akhtar Alvi said the armoured vehicles were not manufactured by Toyota.
“The Toyota Company does not have its armoured vehicles manufacturing plant and that being used by Benazir Bhutto may have been a modified one.”
The same official said that the Land Cruisers and other such luxury vehicles were modified by German or British experts.
At the same time, Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Sadiq, when contacted, said the manufacturers might have approached the government through the Ministry of Industry or Interior.
“They can contact the government without our involvement,” he said when asked whether it was possible that embassy officials made contacts without contacting the Foreign Office.
“As far as the Foreign Office is concerned, I have no knowledge about the development,”
he responded to another question.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=89718