NAUDERO: After a briefing by Interior Minister Rehman Malik on the investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, a special meeting of the PPP central executive committee held at the camp office of the President’s House here on Sunday decided to provide another opportunity to fix some gaps left in the report.

Briefing reporters after midnight, federal Information Minister Firdaus Ashiq Awan, PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badr and the party’s Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said the senior most members of the CEC were briefed for about two hours in the presence of the president and the prime minister.

It was decided that the internal discussion would not be made public at this juncture.

They said the president, prime minister and CEC members expressed satisfaction over the investigation.

Replying to a question, they said the entire report had been presented at the meeting.

They said a letter of Mark Siegel was part of the investigation and the interior minister would brief the media about it.

The law would take its own course and people would be informed about any progress, they said.

“You will get all the answers when the case is submitted to the court,” the information minister said.

The leaders evaded a question about a timeframe for the investigation.

Replying to a question, they said the people named in the report were in the country and also abroad.

When asked about the absence of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, they said it was a regular meeting for which no special invitations had been issued.

Ms Awan said Mr Qureshi entered the mausoleum of the Bhutto family after the prime minister had left because of the security arrangements.

Replying to a question, Mr Badr said Mr Qureshi’s future in the party was in his own hands and he should maintain discipline.

He said the CEC had decided that transparent elections would be held and the PPP was not afraid of their results. He said by-elections had also been held in a free and fair manner.

The committee thanked the president, prime minister and the federal cabinet for sending a reference to the Supreme Court regarding the judicial murder of Z.A. Bhutto and endorsed the decision. It paid tribute to Bhutto who had founded the party that fought four dictatorships. He stood by the people and laid down his life for democracy. The committee pledged to carry forward his mission. Tribute was also paid to the leadership of Benazir Bhutto.

The CEC reposed confidence in the leadership of party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the co-chairman, President Asif Ali Zardari.

Earlier, talking to reporters in Garhi Khuda Bux after visiting the mausoleum, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the investigation by a United Nations commission into the assassination of Ms Bhutto had been conducted to ensure credibility and dig out facts.

“The UN probe was conducted because the Shaheed leader had desired so after the first attempt on her life in Karachi.”

The prime minister said Ms Bhutto had sought an independent investigation into the Karachi attack. The four provincial assemblies and the National Assembly also demanded an investigation by the UN, keeping in view her desire.

He said the government would continue to pursue the policy of reconciliation to find an amicable solution to the situation in Karachi.

He said it was only through the policy of reconciliation that all parties could sit together and find a way to put a permanent end to lawlessness in the city which, in fact, was a mini-Pakistan.

Prime Minister Gilani said the federal government had released Rs2.5 billion of the Rs5 billion committed for the repair and rehabilitation of irrigation system in Sindh.

He said more funds would be provided to the province after a loan from the Asian Development Bank was received.

He said federal Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and the Sindh irrigation minister would supervise the rehabilitation and strengthening of dykes.

He said he had received a briefing in Sukkur on the post-flood situation and the focus would be on handling such events in future.

Replying to a question, he said his government wanted good relations with neighbouring countries, including India, Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics.

Referring to the recent secretary-level meetings with India, he said Pakistan wanted to resolve issues through dialogue that would continue at the foreign ministers’ level.

The prime minister said the PPP, the president and the cabinet had decided to get the Z.A. Bhutto case reopened because former justice Nasim Hassan Shah had admitted in his book that he had given the decision under the pressure of Gen Ziaul Haq. He said the step was aimed at correcting the history.

Meanwhile, people chanted slogans outside the mausoleum in protest against having been barred from entering the premises during the visit by the prime minister and other leaders.