Ex-MI chief, top cops given clean chit over hosing down of Bhutto murder site
Islamabad, May 5 (ANI): The three-member fact finding committee formed by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to investigate the hosing down of the assassination site of former Prime Minister Benazir has given a clean chit to former Military Intelligence (MI) chief Major General Nadeem Ijaz.
Interestingly, the committee has not fixed criminal responsibility on any of the senior police officials, including former city police officer (CPO) of Rawalpindi, Saud Aziz,who was directly held responsible for washing off the crime scene by the UN commission's report.
The committee's report contradicted the UN commission's findings, saying that on the basis of given statements and evidences, the committee has reached the conclusion that the police washed the crime scene outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi without any pressure or any order from higher authorities.
"Police ordered the hosing down of the site in order to avoid any untoward situation because Pakistan People's Party workers were in an agitated state," The Dawn quoted the report, as saying.
It is may be noted that the UN probe report had hinted that the crime scene was washed on the instruction of some intelligence officials and the orders were obeyed by top officials of Rawalpindi police.
Aziz has already denied ordering his subordinates to wash off the incident site, adding that the UN report was not based on facts.
He claimed that the site was washed only after investigation agencies had collected evidences and other material from the site, where Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack on ecember 27, 2007. (ANI)