Bhutto's Supporters Reject

By ZAHID HUSSAIN Wall Street Journal
February 8, 2008 7:33 a.m.

ISLAMABAD -- Supporters of Benazir Bhutto reiterated their call for an independent international investigation into the death of the former Pakistani prime minister after a Scotland Yard probe reaffirmed the government's original contention that she died of a head injury.

"We are not satisfied with the terms of investigation by the U.K. police," said Sherry Rehman, a spokeswoman for Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. "We will continue our quest for an independent inquiry on the perpetrators of the crime."

Investigators from London's Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, concluded that Ms. Bhutto died of head injury caused by the impact of a suicide blast and not by gunfire, reaffirming Pakistan government's initial position.

In a report released in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on Friday, the U.K. investigators said Ms. Bhutto was thrown against a lever on her vehicle's roof and that there was no bullet mark on her body. It said Ms Bhutto's only apparent injury was a major trauma to the right side of the head and the investigators ruled out that the wound was result of a gunshot.

"The only tenable cause of her rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effect of the bomb blast," the report said. . (Read the Scotland Yard statement.)

The finding matches the Pakistani government's explanation of Ms Bhutto's death following a campaign rally Dec. 27. Pakistani Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said the investigation into the circumstances of Ms Bhutto's death was completed, but said Pakistan could seek Scotland Yard's help in a further probe on the perpetrators of the attack. Pakistan has blamed a militant tribal leader for masterminding the attack.

The report may heighten political tensions in the run-up to parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 18 that are designed to install a new prime minister and return Pakistan to democracy after nine years of military rule.

There was no post mortem on Ms. Bhutto's body and the scene of the crime was hosed down within hours, compromising forensic evidence. Ms. Bhutto's supporters have insisted that she died from a bullet and have accused President Pervez Musharraf of covering up his administration's complicity. They have also called for an independent investigation by the United Nations. The demand was rejected by Mr. Musharraf, who denies his government was in any way involved in her murder.

TV pictures that emerged after Ms. Bhutto's death appeared to show a gunman aiming a weapon at her as she stood through the escape hatch of her vehicle. The U.K. police report confirmed that shots were fired - but said they weren"t the cause of death.

The British inquiry also determined that the gunman who was spotted on the scene and the suicide bomber were the same person. "The body parts of only one individual remain unidentified," the report said. It said the footage of the incident didn't show the presence of any other potential bomber. The bombing suspect stood up to two meters from the vehicle, the investigators ascertained.