Bhutto probe: Pak denies access to top army officers

The United Nations probe into the killing of former premier Benazir Bhutto has hit a roadblock with the Pakistan government denying access to top military officials, including powerful army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The UN inquiry commission headed by Ambassador Heraldo Munoz had submitted a written request some time ago for access to senior military officials, including Kayani, former Inter Services Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj and ex-Military Intelligence head Lieutenant General Nadeem Ejaz Mian.

After thorough consultations within the government, the UN panel was informed in writing that access to military officials could not be granted, Dawn News channel reported, quoting an unnamed top government official.

There was no official word on the development. The UN panel had sought access to the serving Pakistani military officials shortly after it interviewed former President Pervez Musharraf in New York in November last year.

Acting on a request from the Pakistan People's Party-led government, the UN appointed a three-member inquiry commission to determine the facts and circumstances of Bhutto's assassination on December 27, 2007. The panel is not expected to name suspected culprits and any criminal investigation will be up to Pakistani authorities.

According to the terms of reference of the commission, the UN had demanded that it should enjoy complete cooperation from the Pakistan government.

The terms of reference state that the Pakistan government "shall comply with the requests of the commission for assistance in collecting the required information and testimony, and shall provide it with the necessary facilities to enable it to discharge its mandate."

Meanwhile, the UN today announced that the investigation will be extended by three months because of the scale of the task facing the commission. The panel had earlier been scheduled to submit a report by December 31 following a six-month investigation.

"Because of the substantial amount of information collected by the commission in Pakistan and further follow-up work, the commissioners requested additional time to complete their report," a UN statement said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has informed the Security Council and the Pakistan government that the inquiry will be extended until March 31.