Musharraf denies involvement in Bhutto assassination

Former Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf has rejected allegations of his involvement in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Addressing a ceremony in London, the former army chief said the allegations of not providing proper security to Bhutto were "unsubstantiated", Geo TV reported.

"Getting UN body to probe Benazir Bhutto's murder is tantamount to no trust on national agencies," he said, adding that the world body would come out with the same finding, as was unfolded by the Scotland Yard in their probe.

Bhutto, who had gone on self-imposed exile in Dubai in 1998 and returned in October 2007 to campaign for her party in parliamentary elections, was killed in a gun and bomb attack at a rally in Rawalpindi Dec 27, 2007.

Investigations carried out by then president Pervez Musharraf's government blamed Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani Taliban commander who operates in the lawless tribal areas of northwest region.

Britain's Scotland Yard which was called in to investigate Bhutto's death also said it its finding that the PPP leader was died of being hit by the sunroof of her car.

Bhutto's supporters, however, rejected the investigations and demanded for an UN probe, which has begun recently.

Musharraf also justified the military offensive against the Taliban in the northwest and said the war against Al Qaeda and Taliban was in the interest of Pakistan.

The military has succeeded against terrorists in Swat and now the army should focus on Waziristan and other tribal areas, he suggested.

Stating that "extremism is a mindset, which could not be fought back except with a long-term strategy", Musharraf said extremism is also flourishing in India, which has its basis in violation of human rights and unemployment among Muslims.

However, the former military chief did not say anything regarding the acquittal of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in the 10-year-old plane-hijacking case.

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