Arrival of UN body on BB murder probe delayed

ISLAMABAD - Owing to ongoing military offensive in Swat and volatile security situation in the country, the arrival of United Nations Commission on Benazir Bhutto for probing into her assassination has been delayed for an indefinite period. The sources in the Ministry of Interior told TheNation that UN technical team which had visited Pakistan in the first week of April 2009 had given its assessment report to the fact-finding commission but the arrival of the commission was delayed due to ongoing military operation in Malakand division. Another purpose of the six-member team headed by a top UN official Mark Quarterman was to establish infrastructure in the country so that the fact-finding commission could begin its investigation. The UN technical team had also worked out on budget and details of commissions work, while initial investigation by Pakistani authorities into Benazirs murder had also been provided to the team. However, Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit has said that the delay in the formal launching of investigation into BB assassination case by UN commission was due to the incomplete status of the commission. The third member of the commission has yet not been selected, therefore it has not arrived, he added. He rebutted the impression that the delay in the arrival of commission was due to security threats in Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had announced the establishment of Benazir Bhutto fact-finding commission on February 4, 2009 during a visit to Pakistan and had appointed Ambassador of Chile Heraldo Munoz as its Chairman. The government has also given the UN some $1.5 million for setting up the commission as seed money.