Pak minister defends ISI in Shahzad murder

A Pakistani minister has said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency should not be blamed for the murder of leading journalist Saleem Shahzad.

A Pakistani minister has said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency should not be blamed for the murder of leading journalist Saleem Shahzad.

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Without naming ISI, minister for information and broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Sunday that "no particular man or agency could be blamed for the murder", the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Shahzad's kidnapping a week ago and his later brutal murder sparked off speculation that he was killed by the ISI, which was apparently unhappy with some of his writings on Islamist groups.

The minister said the probe into Shahzad's murder "would be carried out in accordance with the law of the land and the wishes of the journalists".