UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to announce the formation of a commission to investigate the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto when he visits Pakistan on February 4.
Ban "would announce the commission during his forthcoming visit to Pakistan," a senior diplomatic source was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
The UN Secretary General is expected to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir during his day-long visit.
The war on terror, Pakistan's contribution of troops to UN peacekeeping missions and UN reforms are likely to figure in the Secretary General's talks with Pakistani leaders.
A few weeks ago, the UN had proposed to Pakistan the terms of reference for an independent inquiry commission into the circumstance of the killing of Bhutto. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq too had said the UN was in an advanced stage of instituting the inquiry.
Pakistan had asked the UN in June last year to conduct an independent and impartial probe to expose the "hidden hands" and mastermind behind the December 27, 2007 assassination of Bhutto after a political rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan had asked the UN in June last year to conduct an independent and impartial probe to expose the "hidden hands" and mastermind behind the December 27, 2007 assassination of Bhutto after a political rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
{{/usCountry}}The government said it was seeking a UN probe because it suspected an "international conspiracy" behind the assassination of the former Pakistan People's Party chairperson. It also said that probing such a conspiracy was beyond the capacity of local investigators.