2 more arrested in Bhutto's death
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - February 7, 2008 Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the two
suspects were picked up in Rawalpindi, where Bhutto died in a gun
and bomb attack Dec. 27. He declined to say whether the two men
were key figures in the assassination, which threatened to plunge
the nation into political chaos.
"I can't really comment on whether (the arrest) is important,"
Cheema told The Associated Press. "After the investigation, I will
be in a position to say more."
Last month, police in northwestern Pakistan arrested two other
suspects, including a 15-year-old boy who was alleged to have been
part of a backup suicide squad assigned to kill Bhutto if the
primary assassins failed.
The latest arrests were announced as a team of British
detectives from Scotland Yard returned to Pakistan to report the
findings of their investigation of the assassination. Their report
is expected to shed light on exactly how Bhutto died - amid
confusion over whether she was killed by a gunshot or the impact of
a suicide bombing.
British diplomats are expected to release a summary of the
report Friday.
President Pervez Musharraf invited Scotland Yard to conduct its
own inquiry after Bhutto supporters alleged the government may have
been involved in her death. Musharraf rejected calls from Bhutto's
party for an independent U.N. investigation.
U.S. and Pakistani officials believe the assassination was
masterminded by Baitullah Mehsud, an al-Qaida-linked commander
based in South Waziristan.
Mehsud leads Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a coalition of Islamic
extremist groups fighting Pakistani forces in the lawless tribal
area along the border with Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Mehsud's
coalition announced an indefinite cease-fire with Pakistani forces.
Bhutto's slaying triggered nationwide riots that caused billions
of dollars in damage and the deaths of at least 40 people. That
prompted the government to postpone parliamentary elections for six
weeks until Feb. 18.
The balloting is aimed at restoring civilian government after
eight years of military rule. Musharraf was re-elected president in
October but needs a strong majority in parliament to fend off
growing demands for his impeachment.
Although the stakes are high, there has been little sign of
public enthusiasm for the election. Campaigning virtually stopped
after Bhutto's death, in part out of respect for the traditional
40-day mourning period and also over fears that Islamic extremists
will attack large public gatherings.
However, Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party said it was ready to
resume the campaign following the end of the mourning period. The
party, now led by her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, plans a major
rally Saturday.
About 10,000 mourners were at Bhutto's tomb in the southern
province of Sindh to mark the end of the mourning period. Crowds
filed inside the Bhutto family's grand marble mausoleum, where they
showered petals on her grave. Weeping women recited passages from
the Islamic holy book, the Quran.
Zardari, ringed by bodyguards, delivered a brief speech in which
he described his wife as a martyr who fought to change "the system
of exploitation" in impoverished Pakistan.
Bhutto had accused Musharraf's political allies of plotting to
kill her, an allegation the government has denied.
"We will go out with a pledge to fight those who snatched away
our leader. We will defeat them. We will vote them out," said
Aisha Gul as she paid her respects at the tomb.
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Associated Press correspondents Munir Ahmad in Islamabad and
Zarar Khan in Sind province contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
