A three-member UN Commission of Inquiry probing the facts and circumstances of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on its first working visit to Pakistan.
A three-member UN Commission of Inquiry probing the facts and circumstances of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on its first working visit to Pakistan.
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During their stay in the country, the members of the commission will meet President Asif Ali Zardari and a number of senior government officials and others in connection with the inquiry, said a statement issued by the UN.
The commission is "committed to assisting Pakistan by doing its utmost to determine the facts and circumstances of her death", the statement said.
Officials said the commission will be briefed by Pakistani investigators on their probe into the killing of Bhutto in a gun and bomb attack shortly after she had addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007. The panel will also meet the minister of state for law to discuss legal aspects of the probe.
The government has made strict security arrangements for the commission and a large police contingent has been deployed to protect its members.
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The independent commission, established by UN chief Ban Ki-moon at the request of the Pakistan government, started its activities on July 1 with the mandate to inquire into the facts and circumstances of the assassination.
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The independent commission, established by UN chief Ban Ki-moon at the request of the Pakistan government, started its activities on July 1 with the mandate to inquire into the facts and circumstances of the assassination.
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.
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