Scotland Yard to assist probe: Musharraf

TURBULENT NEIGHBOURHOOD

After flip-flops on what and who killed Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf tonight said Britain's elite Scotland Yard would assist in the investigations into her assassination.

A team of the ace British investigating agency will be arriving here shortly to help in the local investigation, he said in a televised address to the nation.

"I am grateful to (British) Prime Minister Gordon Brown. When I put up this request, he agreed," Musharraf said in his first public comments after questions were raised over the government's version of Bhutto's assassination.

"We hope this inquiry will help in removing all doubts and suspicions," he added.

The announcement came amidst serious doubts raised over the Pakistan government's changing versions, including one that said Bhutto died not due to bullet wounds but from the injury caused by a metal lever of her vehicle's sun-roof when she fell ducking a suicide bomber attack. Musharraf said postponement of the January 8 general elections to February 18 was "unavoidable".

"The postponement was unavoidable and the decision taken by the Election Commission is correct," he said.

The President blamed Bhutto's assassination on the same terrorists who had carried out a series of deadly suicide attacks across the country in recent months.

He singled out two pro-Taliban militant leaders, Baitullah Mehsud from South Waziristan and Maulana Fazlullah from the Swat valley in North West Frontier Province for being behind terrorist attacks and suicide bombings.