Action against Ex ISI, IB, police officials following UN report on Bhutto’s assassination

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Government has initiated action against several serving as well as retired bureaucrats in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto by placing their names on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The dramatic move comes after the release of a report compiled by the UN commission, which held the officials directly or indirectly responsible for Bhutto’s assassination.

According to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) insiders, the party has decided to take strong legal action against all government officials who failed to protect Bhutto.

The Interior Ministry has compiled a list of 13 senior government officers, which include former Director General of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. Gen. (Retd) Hamid Gul, former Chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Brig. (Retd) Ijaz Shah, former federal Interior Secretary Kamal Shah and a senior bureaucrat of Punjab Government Ashfaq Anwar, The Nation reports.

As many as six police officials, who were also serving during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf, have been put on the “duty suspension list”.

In addition to that, the Federal Government has suspended the contract agreement of former Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. (Retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema, who was working as Director General of Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said steps would be taken to bring back Musharraf, if he was found responsible for the tragic incident.

The PPP has held Musharraf for not providing adequate security cover to Bhutto despite having information about the impending threat to her life.

Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007 after departing a PPP rally in Rawalpindi, two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008, where she was a leading opposition candidate. (ANI)