Islamabad:
The US today dismissed as "false" and "outrageous" the allegations made by former Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Hamid Gul that the United States government was involved in the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Noting that Gul had "repeatedly asserted the outrageous and baseless claim" during appearances on two TV news channels, a spokesman for the US embassy said, "The US rejects this and other false allegations regularly made by Lt Gen (retired) Gul about its policies and activities."
The spokesman said that at the time of Bhutto's murder in December 2007, the US "swiftly and publicly condemned" the act and called for an independent investigation. "Despite the fact that Mr Gul gave no proof for his allegations against the United States, his statements were not challenged by any of the TV hosts who invited him to their programmes," the spokesman said.
"TV stations and the anchors have the same obligations as other journalists to present the public with balanced views, to question unsubstantiated allegations by guests and to reject incitement," he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities will probe six senior police officials who have been removed from active service after being named in the report of a UN panel that investigated the Bhutto assassination.
The Federal Investigation Agency will conduct the probe against Additional Inspector General of Police (CID) Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Additional Inspector General of Police Saud Aziz, SSP (operations) Yasin Farooq, SSP (headquarters) Ishfaq Anwar, SSP (investigation) Khurram Shahzad and Haider Warriach, officials said. These officials were removed from active service and demoted to the rank of officers on special duty after the UN panel submitted its report on the facts and circumstances of Bhuttos assassination in December 2007.
Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi today accepted a plea by the FIA seeking 14 days to conduct a fresh probe against three persons in the light of the UN commissions report. The FIAs counsel said the agency needed more time to investigate Syed Gul, Gul Roze and Mohammad Sharif, who were exonerated in connection with a suicide attack in Kamra, to determine their alleged involvement in Bhuttos assassination.
The UN commissions report has indicted the regime of former President Pervez Musharraf for providing inadequate security to Bhutto. According to the report, security arrangements at the venue where Bhutto addressed a rally minutes before her death were also inadequate.