UNITED NATIONS, March 24 A United Nations technical team is expected to reach Pakistan in the third week of April to establish infrastructure in the country for the fact-finding mission to begin its investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, informed sources here told Dawn on Tuesday.

The team headed by top UN official from Africa, Mark Quarterman, was scheduled to go to Pakistan in the second week of March but was forced to delay the visit due to uncertain political situation in the country.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced establishment of Benazir Bhutto fact-finding commission on February 4, during a visit to Pakistan.

Ambassador of Chile, Heraldo Munoz, was appointed as the chairman of the commission. A veteran diplomat, Mr Munoz has written a book, an account of the period leading to Iraq war, “A Solitary War A Diplomat's Chronicle of the Iraq War and Its Lessons”.

The United Nations is in the process of recruiting officials to work on the team and to create offices in Pakistan for the work related to the work of the commission.

Besides, the point man for the investigation on Pakistan side Interior Minister Rehman Malik was also busy tackling the political upheaval in Pakistan, the sources said. Mr Malik who would be sworn in as the interior minister formally next week is expected to visit Washington and New York at the end of March, the sources said.

The Pakistan government has already given the United Nations some $1.5 million for setting up the commission.

The UN technical team is in the process of working out budget and details of commission's work.

When the former prime minister, Ms Bhutto, returned from exile in October 2007, she said she had received warnings from friendly intelligence agencies about several groups plotting to assassinate her.

The initial investigation by Pakistani authorities into the gun-and-bomb attack that killed her after a political rally in Rawalpindi blamed Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani Taliban commander. US intelligence officials also named him as the most likely suspect.

Her supporters have rejected those findings, suggesting that Ms Bhutto's political opponents may have been involved and tampered with the investigation.

British investigators later largely confirmed the initial findings, although admitted their access to evidence was limited.

President Asif Zardari has resisted calls to conduct another Pakistani investigation.

He said he hoped the independent, three-member UN commission will finally establish the facts and circumstances of her death.

“We believe that the commission's findings will lead to eventually exposing the financiers, the organisers, the sponsors and the conspirators of this terrorist act and bring them to justice,” he said.