Baitullah Mehsud's delegation likely to meet Zardari

Islamabad, Feb 15 : Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was allegedly involved in the assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, will send a seven-member delegation to meet Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

The delegation, comprising of prominent tribal elders and religious scholars from South Waziristan, will hand over a written condolence letter over Benazir's death, The News reported.

According to the report, a few weeks earlier, Mehsud had asked this delegation to go to Naudero, but some members of the delegation were not able to leave the tribal area due to the prevailing tension.

A member of the delegation said that Mehsud was indirectly in contact with the PPP leadership before the attack on the October 18 homecoming rally of Benazir in Karachi.

Mehsud had told the PPP that he had no plans to attack their leader.

Soon after the assassination of Benazir on December 27, the Pakistan Government has said that Mehsud was the mastermind behind the attack, but Zardari made it clear that his party has no conflict with Mehsud.

This statement is said to have encouraged Mehsud to establish a direct contact with Zardari.

It may be recalled that a Scotland Yard team has backed the Musharraf regime on Benazir's cause of death by stating that she didn't die of bullet injury.

ANI