Pakistani police deliberately failed to properly probe the 2007 murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto which could have been averted if there had been adequate security, a UN-appointed independent panel said Thursday.
“Ms Bhutto’s assassination could have been prevented if adequate security measures had been taken,” said the report by a three-member panel headed by Chile’s UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz.
The panel said responsibility for Bhutto’s security on the day of her assassination rested with “the federal government, the government of Punjab and the Rawalpindi district police.”
“None of these entities took the necessary measures to respond to the extraordinary, fresh, urgent security risks that they knew she face,” it added.
The panel said it believed that Pakistani police’s failure to probe the slaying effectively “was deliberate.”
“These officials, in part fearing intelligence agencies’ involvement, were unsure of how vigorously they ought to pursue actions, which they knew, as professionals, they should have taken,” it added.
The panel said the Pakistani probe “lacked direction, was ineffective and suffered from a lack of commitment to identify and bring all of the perpetrators to justice.”
It added it was up to Pakistani authorities to carry out a “serious, credible criminal investigation that determines who conceived, ordered and executed this heinous crime… and brings those responsible to justice.”
The Munoz-led panel was tasked with establishing the facts and circumstances of the slaying and was not empowered to identify culprits.
Bhutto’s supporters have cast doubt on an initial Pakistani probe into her death, questioning whether she was killed by a gunshot or the blast and criticizing authorities for hosing down the scene of the attack within minutes.
Munoz earlier Thursday turned over the report to UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Musharraf govt. responsible for BB assassination: UN
United Nations (UN) commission, which probed into assassination of Benazir Bhutto, has held responsible the former President Pervez Musharraf-led government for assassination of Benazir Bhutto due to provision of poor security measures.
“Musharraf government failed to provide foolproof security to Ms. Bhutto which ultimately allowed a lethal assault on her”, the report’s beginning statement said.
The security breach left wide-open room for an attack to happen, it declared.
There was a serious lack of professionalism in security arrangements, either by the government of Pakistan or by the PPP party, which were jointly providing security to caravan of Benazir in Liaquat Bagh, said it.
Video of Press Conference:
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Your site is uptodate, it is a very good feature. I agree with the report that the fault is with GOP for not conducting inquiry.
The report of the UN Commission on the murder of the ex chairperson of PPP is the most unbiased and professional report on Benazir Bhutto’s murder. The report has declared the MUSHARRAF GOVERNMENT (1999 – 2008) as responsible for the murder of Benazir Bhutto.
Every person in Pakistan knew since first day that the military regime of General Musharraf played a key role in the death of BB. The letter of Benazir Bhutto written to that government included names of three key personalities who wanted to kill her; all three of them were a part of the Musharraf regime. Now it is proved from the UN report that Benazir Bhutto was right.
According to the UN Commission, the lack in security matters was the main key to the death of Benazir Bhutto and this crime was done to give enemy the opportunity to kill Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi. The report of UN commission declared that at that time, the MUSHARRAF GOVERNMENT failed to provide adequate security of Benazir Bhutto; unlike other former prime ministers Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Shaukat Aziz, who were provided full security. Now, the gates for MUSHARRAF’s return to Pakistan have almost closed. People of Pakistan consider him the killer of Benazir Bhutto; particularly in the aftermath of the UNO commission report, everything is visible and sure. Nine years of dictatorship resulted in the loss of the most revered public figure in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Every eye in Pakistan was grieved on the death of Benazir Bhutto. His political rivals also wept on that day. That day was doomsday in Pakistan.
[...] Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination Report by UNO [...]