ISLAMABAD / NEW YORK, Feb 3: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is arriving in Islamabad on Wednesday, is expected to announce formation of a UN commission to look into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

According to sources, the three-member commission is likely to be headed by a South American and include a respected official from Indonesia, Dar Usman, and a Swedish national as members.

The names of members of the commission would be given to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani before its official announcement.

The commission is expected to go through the information provided to the UN by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry and the Scotland Yard.

A UN official told Dawn that “we expect the investigation to be thorough and full, taking into account the situation obtaining in the country at that time”.

According to the sources, the UN Security Council has been informed about the formation of the commission by the secretariat.

Pakistan will pay to the UN $5 million as seed money for the commission. However, the actual cost of investigation would be much higher and would be shared by friendly countries. Although, the cost is being kept a closely guarded secret, it is believed that it would be in tens of millions of dollars.

The inquiry to be conducted under the auspices of the office of the secretary general would be completed within six months, according to the terms of reference of the commission. Besides, Pakistan and the UN have agreed that the report of the commission would be handed over to the government in its original shape.

The UN and Pakistan have already reached a broad understanding on unhindered access to all sources of relevant information and on elements to safeguard its objectivity, impartiality and independence.

It took the UN almost seven months to finalise the commission. The original request for inquiry was made by Pakistan in June for exposing, through independent and impartial investigations, the culprits, perpetrators, financiers and the mastermind behind the December 27 assassination of ruling PPP’s chairperson Benazir Bhutto in a gun-and-bomb attack after a political rally in Rawalpindi.

Mr Ban would be reaching here on Wednesday on a one-day visit. Besides announcing the probe commission, he will sign the ‘One UN’ document and discuss security of UN personnel in Pakistan in his talks with President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani.