RAWALPINDI, Jan 27: Reiterating the demand for a UN-led investigation, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) activists held a protest rally here at Liaquat Bagh on Sunday that also marked one month of the assassination of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Senator Babar Awan, a front-line leader of the PPP, led the protest rally together with other party leaders belonging to Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Speaking on the occasion, he accused the government of wiping out vital evidence and protecting those behind the murder of Ms Bhutto.

“If the government of President Pervez Musharraf has nothing to hide, he should himself contact the UN and request to carry out the investigation,” Mr Awan said.

He expressed his deep concern over the “most critical situation” prevailing in the country, and said an anti-state campaign was being run under a conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan.

The PPP with the support of all the four provinces and Azad Kashmir will defeat every move to harm the country, he added.

“The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a continuation of the murders of Bhuttos,” he said, adding that the murderers would not be able to escape their fate.

The protest rally, which was taken out by the People’s Democratic Forum, was also addressed by the forum’s chairperson Raja Aadil Bashir, chief organiser Sardar Shaukat Mahmood, secretary general Raja Mubashir Ijaz, PPP candidate in NA-55 Aamir Fida Paracha, Qazi Sultan Mahmood, Shaikh Waheed and Nargis Faiz Malik.

The starting point of the rally was the spot where Ms Bhutto was assassinated. Participants of the rally displayed banners demanding investigation by UN, arrest of murderers, and free, fair and impartial elections.

Meanwhile, Mr Awan said the PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari would start a countrywide tour as no power on earth could keep at distance the people of Pakistan from the PPP.

He said the party workers would make every sacrifice to complete the mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

PPP candidate Aamir Fida Paracha said the people of Pakistan would take revenge for the high-profile assassination by casting their votes on February 18.

The rally ended with collective Fateha Khawani.

Our Reporter from Islamabad adds: The Islamabad chapter of the PPP women wing on Sunday held a protest demonstration, calling for a UN probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

The protesters vowed to continue their struggle until their demand was met. The protest demonstration was participated by a large number of party activists of the twin cities.

Speaking on the occasion, PPP leader Nargis Faiz Malik and others said if the present regime did not approach the UN then “the future PPP government” would formally urge the UN to probe the assassination.

The speakers condemned the regime’s refusal to approach the UN for investigations, saying that it smacked of a cover-up.

Ms Malik said the party had no faith in the investigations ordered by the regime.

The Scotland Yard team had only been asked to probe the cause of death and not “the perpetrators, financiers, executioners or organisers of the conspiracy”.

She said the PPP had already taken up the matter and sent letters to the UN and also dispatched delegations abroad to seek international assistance in pressuring the regime to request a UN probe.