ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: The government is not willing to seek assistance of foreign experts for probe into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Sources in the government told Dawn that despite the willingness expressed by President Pervez Musharraf to invite international experts the government was not ready to do so.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema refused to comment on the issue. “I am really unaware of the issue,” he told a questioner who had asked him if the government was calling international experts for the probe.

Caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz has already said that the government has no plan to seek help of international investigators.

The spokesman said the investigation into the assassination was under way and evidences in this regard were being collected. “The government will not conceal any fact regarding this great tragedy,” he said.

He said a post-mortem on the body of Ms Bhutto was a legal requirement which could not be conducted because Asif Ali Zardari refused to allow it.

Giving details about the overall situation, he said the law and order situation in the country was returning to normality. He said people were resuming their routine activities and all basic commodities were now available in the market.

Brig Cheema said that while political workers exercised patience, some criminal elements took advantage of the situation and indulged in acts of violence and arson causing loss of lives and huge material damage.

The government, he said, would deal with the criminals with an iron hand and no-one would be allowed to break the law.

The spokesman said some elements had tried to forcibly close shops in Sindh on Monday and also caused some destruction, adding that such people would be brought to justice.

He said that 58 people were killed and 89 were injured during the unrest while 285 banks, 204 offices, 36 petrol pumps, 572 vehicles, 72 bogies, 27 railway stations and 802 shops had been set on fire.

He quoted the Election Commission secretary as saying that more than 10 EC offices had been set ablaze.

He said the government was making efforts to establish peace in Kurram Agency and a Jirga had been constituted.

Answering a question, he said the outpouring of grief after the killing of a national leader was natural but criminal elements exploited the situation. “About 100 prisoners escaped from judicial lock-ups and they could have been involved in the criminal activities,” he added.