Probe by world agencies into Benazir assassination demanded

Twelve important members of the US Congress have warned that if the White House does not stand for getting the investigation from the United Nations into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and holding the elections on the scheduled date of January 8 then the restrictions imposed on the US aid for Pakistan may be increased.

According to senior journalist Shaheen Sehbai, the new year vacations are going on in the American Congress but despite this, the twelve important members of the majority Democratic Party have written a letter to US foreign minister Condoleezza Rice.

Grave concern was expressed on the Bush administration policy regarding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the expected delay in holding the elections and this was condemned in the letter.

This has been said in the letter that they were concerned over the White House statement that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan’s internal matter. However, the US has always supported the international demands for investigating such events of independent countries on world level and the example of the probe into the murder of former president of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri is before in this connection.

This has also been said in the letter that the conflicting reports are coming regarding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and a few serious questions are arising such as conflicting statement of doctor and issue of video tape.

This situation demands for a world level probe into the murder of Benazir Bhutto.

Besides, it was said by the White House that if the elections are postponed then the new date should be declared and this statement is not right as it is practically an open invitation for delaying the polls.

This was said in the letter that the US has already stopped $50 million from this year’s US aid to Pakistan and if, in this situation, fair and independent investigations in the murder of Benazir are not held and the elections are delayed then an eye would be kept on the US funds already stopped for Pakistan and attention would be given towards imposing additional sanctions in future.

The letter has asked the White House and the Bush administration to stress on holding the elections in Pakistan.