Pakistan People's Party rejects report into Bhutto's death

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) today rejected a report by British detectives into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, saying it had “achieved nothing”.

A spokesman for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who was appointed party leader after his mother’s death, said the report would be used as a “diversion” away from the real issue of finding the killers.

Scotland Yard investigators found the former prime minister died of a “severe head injury” and not a gunshot wound.

The attack was carried out by a lone terrorist who fired shots before detonating the bomb, killing himself along with Ms Bhutto and at least 20 others.

The investigation, which was limited to determining the cause and circumstances of the death, found the fatal injury was a major trauma to the right side of the head.

It was not caused by Ms Bhutto inadvertently hitting her head as she ducked down, but by the force of the explosion throwing her head against the escape hatch of the vehicle.

The detectives ruled out the possibility of there being two people involved in the attack, a gunman and a suicide bomber, using television footage and forensic experts to conclude that one and the same man fired the shots from the rear of the vehicle at a distance of one to two metres, before detonating the bomb.

PPP spokesman Wajid Hasan, who also speaks on behalf of Ms Bhutto’s 19-year-old son, a student at Oxford University, said: “This report is not easy to accept.

“We don’t accept the report because it tries to cover up the government’s inefficiency in providing security and protecting Ms Bhutto.

“We want an international inquiry by the UN to look into not only the cause of death but also who was responsible.

“The fact is that she died. What we need to know is who killed her.”

He said Scotland Yard should not have accepted the “limited assignment” which was hampered by a lack of evidence and the fact the team only arrived many days after the attack.

He added: “Has it achieved anything? Nothing. It has tried to bail out the government. It does not resolve the issue of who killed her.”

The British team said the wider investigation to establish culpability remained entirely a matter for the Pakistani authorities.

The investigation was complicated by the lack of an extended search of the crime scene, the lack of a post mortem, and the lack of a victim identification process. The only X-rays taken after the death were of Ms Bhutto’s head and there was no CT scan.

But the report said the available evidence was sufficient for reliable conclusions to be drawn.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary said: “In my opinion, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto died as a result of a severe head injury sustained as a consequence of the bomb blast and due to head impact somewhere in the escape hatch of the vehicle.”

A shot to the mid or lower body was ruled out because of the armoured vehicle in which she was travelling, which was fitted with B6 grade armour designed to withstand gunfire and bomb-blast.

And although a shot to the upper body or neck could not be ruled out, given the evidence of family and hospital staff who examined the body, this was unlikely, the report said.

Even if such a shot had been fired, the severity of the head injury meant it would not have been a “relevant factor” in the cause of death.

Ms Bhutto died in an attack during a political rally in Rawalpindi on December 27.

The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) team arrived Pakistan on January 4, after an invitation from the country’s authorities because of the controversy about how Ms Bhutto died.

The team, led by Detective Superintendent John MacBrayne, and including two forensic experts and an expert in analysing video footage, delivered its report to interim interior minister Hamid Nawaz.

They said they were given extensive support and co-operation by the Pakistan authorities and by Ms Bhutto’s family and party during the two-and-a-half-week investigation.

The report concluded: “In essence, all the evidence indicates that one suspect has fired the shots before detonating an improvised explosive device.

“At the time of the attack this person was standing close to the rear of Ms Bhutto’s vehicle.

“The blast caused a violent collision between her head and the escape hatch area of the vehicle, causing a severe and fatal head injury.”

Police believe the body parts of the only individual to remain unidentified belong to the suicide bomber, who could not have survived.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani authorities said yesterday they had arrested two more suspects in Rawalpindi in connection with the suicide attack.

Last month, police in north west Pakistan arrested two other suspects, including a 15-year-old boy who was alleged to have been part of a back-up suicide squad assigned to kill Ms Bhutto if the primary assassins failed.

Ms Bhutto’s murder triggered nationwide riots that caused the deaths of at least 40 people.

The government postponed parliamentary elections, aimed at restoring civilian government after eight years of military rule, for six weeks until February 18.

Mr Musharraf was re-elected president in October but needs a strong majority in parliament to fend off growing demands for his impeachment.