Benazir Bhutto's death: Bilawal may release probe report

Islamabad, Dec 27: The report of the probe into the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is likely to be released by her elder son Bilawal at a public meeting in Sindh province today.

The event coincides with his mother's fifth death anniversary. Benazir was killed by a suicide bomber when she was leaving a rally organised by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) at Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi.

Bilawal's father Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, will address the meeting at Garhi Khuda Bux where the Bhutto family's mausoleum is situated.

According to a source, Zardari may use the occasion to announce the date for the 2013 general elections. "The President is keeping things close to his chest and he is the person who will make the decision about announcing the date for the polls," the source said.

Bilawal will "make his entry into active politics" today and also "take over the PPP's campaign" for the next elections which will probably be held in Apr or May 2013 since the National Assembly's term ends in Mar, the source added. The four provinces of Pakistan could go to the polls at the same time.

With the Supreme Court making it clear that the Pakistani president must not be affiliated to any party, Zardari cannot hope to lead the PPP's poll campaign but the problem is that his son is ineligible to contest elections at present due to his age. Only after Bilawal turns 25 next year, the party will be able to put him up as a candidate.

Incidentally, three-months-ago, a Bangladeshi tabloid claimed that Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is in love with Bilawal. Though Zardari told the latter to end the affair as he felt that Bilawal's political career would be jeopardised, the PPP chairman reportedly threatened to quit the party.

OneIndia News