UN team to grill Musharraf next month over Benazir's death

Islamabad, Aug 4 (ANI): A UN Commission inquiring into the assassination of former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto will question former president Pervez Musharraf next month contrary to the mixed signals coming from the ruling PPP-led Government.

The inquiry commission, it appears, is clear that it will be interviewing Musharraf, who is currently residing in London.

According to sources close to the UN Commission, the interview may be conducted some time in September, most likely in London.

The three-member UN commission will definitely interview Musharraf in person, The News quoted sources, as saying.

The commission, which will go by its own mandate, is known to believe that its work will be incomplete without interviewing a principal, important and perhaps the most authoritative personality in Pakistan when the tragic and bloody killing of Benazir took place.

The commission, headed by Chile's Permanent Representative to the UN and former Chilean Deputy Foreign Minister, Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, is known to be quite determined about conducting the inquiry in a credible manner.

The other two members of the commission are: Marzuki Darusman, a former attorney-general of Indonesia and Peter Fitzgerald, a veteran of the Irish National Police.

Interviewing Musharraf, observers believe, should not be a problem since the mandate of the commission does include interviews with key players of the Musharraf era.

The commission, which commenced its six-month mandate on July 1, 2009, visited Pakistan in mid July.

The commission will submit a report to the UN secretary-general within six months of its actual starting of work. He will then share the report with Government of Pakistan and submit it to the Security Council for information. (ANI)