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April 16, 2010

UN Probe: Pakistani Gov’t Could Have Prevented Bhutto Killing
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A United Nations inquiry has found the Pakistani government failed to
protect former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto before her 2007
assassination and then failed to properly investigate her death. On
Thursday, the inquiry chair, Chilean diplomat Heraldo Muñoz, presented
the findings of a nine-month probe at the United Nations.

Heraldo Muñoz: “A range of government officials failed profoundly in
their efforts, first, to protect Ms. Bhutto and, second, to investigate
with vigor all those responsible for her murder, not only in the
execution of the attack, but also in its conception, planning and
financing.”

Muñoz went on to say the Pakistani government failed to protect Bhutto
at both the federal and local level.

Heraldo Muñoz: “The federal government failed in its primary
responsibility to provide effective protection to Ms. Bhutto on her
return to Pakistan. Ms. Bhutto’s assassination could have been prevented
if the Rawalpindi District Police had taken adequate security measures.
The security arrangements for Ms. Bhutto by the Rawalpindi District
Police were ineffective and insufficient.”

The UN inquiry is also calling on Pakistan to conduct its own probe of
Bhutto’s death.