President Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday he had asked for British help to investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, as authorities pushed back crucial elections to Feb. 18, citing the unrest caused by her killing.
In a nationally televised address, Musharraf said the death of the two-time prime minister was a great tragedy for Pakistan. He blamed “terrorists” for Bhutto’s slaying.
“We decided to request a team from Scotland Yard to come,” Musharraf said in a nationally televised address. He added that he sent the request to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, “and he accepted the request.”
This was a very smart move by Musharraf and will go a long way to rebuilding confidence in the Pakistani government and his administration.
If he would have asked the U.S. for help, it would have looked like he was bowing to American pressure which would have further aggravated his situation politically.
Scotland Yard is among the best law enforcement agencies in the world, and will certainly conduct a thorough investigation.
-Chris Jones
