Benazir Bhutto Murder Was 'Avoidable'

A long-awaited UN report into the killing of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto two years ago has been highly critical of the government of the day. It says Bhutto's death at a rally near Islamabad could have been prevented if proper security measures had been taken by Gen Pervez Musharraf's government.

The report also criticized the subsequent investigation and urged Pakistan to launch a "credible" probe. Compiled by an independent commission appointed by the UN, it concluded that the pervasive presence of Pakistan's politicized intelligence agencies hampered the investigation and that "the crime scene in Rawalpindi was hosed down immediately after the explosion."

This, the report said, could not have happened without the knowledge of higher authorities.

Speaking at a news conference at the UN in New York, the head of the commission, Heraldo Munoz, said the authorities had failed to protect Bhutto and to investigate her assassination properly.

"A range of government officials failed profoundly in their efforts, first to protect Ms Bhutto and second to investigate with vigor all those responsible for her murder, not only in the execution of the attack but also in its conception, planning and financing," he said, adding that Bhutto would have not been killed had the Rawalpindi district police taken adequate security measures.

"The commission believes that the failure of the police to investigate effectively Ms Bhutto's assassination was deliberate," the report said, urging Pakistani authorities to carry out a "serious, credible" criminal investigation into the assassination "and bring those responsible to justice."

"Doing so would constitute a major step toward ending impunity for political crimes in this country," it said.

Pakistani government is expected to issue a more detailed response after it has studied the report in detail.