Benazir murder plot hatched at Pak brigadier8217;s home: Report

The findings of the investigation,conducted under the Interior Ministry8217;s supervision,were deliberately kept under wraps,even from the ruling PPP8217;s top leaders,it claimed.

The probe8217;s findings are in the possession of Interior Minister Malik and had been seen only by President Asif Ali Zardari in its entirety,the report said.

It did not say whether the brigadier purportedly identified by the probe was a serving or a former army officer.

However,the Interior Minister dismissed the report.

8220;It is a totally concocted story,a false story. No conspiracy was hatched in any brigadier8217;s home,8221; Malik told reporters in Karachi.

He said all the reports he had received so far on the assassination did not show the involvement of a brigadier.

The conspiracy to assassinate Bhutto was hatched in militant hideouts and not in the home of any brigadier,Malik said.

The Express Tribune reported that Zardari had 8220;temporarily shelved plans8221; to share the contents of the inquiry report earlier this week.

Zardari was keen to 8220;first take the Army leadership into confidence before ordering the arrest of certain uniformed personnel over their alleged involvement8221; in the assassination,the report said.

Five of the nine conspirators are alive while the other four,including those sent to kill Bhutto,are dead,according to the inquiry report.

The five surviving men 8220;were the ones who hired the killers and gave them shelter and logistical support.8221; They will 8220;now be formally charge-sheeted and put on trial,8221; the daily reported.

8220;Both logistical support and rehearsals for the murder were arranged by uniformed persons,who were part of the plot.

Militant groups,which were working closely with the nine plotters,provided the manpower,8221; the report further said.

The joint investigation team had traced two new mobile phone SIMs used to communicate on the day Bhutto was assassinated and the the Federal Investigation Agency had drawn up a tough questionnaire for former President Pervez Musharraf on the basis of investigations conducted by the team,the report said.

The questions for Musharraf were 8220;framed once the role of the nine plotters became clear and the inquiry team managed to lay its hands on the main accused who was part of the plot to eliminate8221; Bhutto,it added.

The daily claimed that Zardari was 8220;undecided on how to handle the more explosive contents of the inquiry report.8221;

It quoted sources as saying that Zardari had 8220;deliberately withheld presentation of the inquiry report before the PPP central executive committee8221; during a recent meeting at Naudero in Sindh province.

Though 8220;Zardari had agreed in principle to make the report public,he wanted to give it some more thought,8221; the report said.

Zardari and PPP leaders are 8220;keen to fight off the somewhat popular impression that they are disinterested in tracking down8221; Bhutto8217;s killers,it added.

The daily further reported that the military leadership had 8220;signalled their willingness to cooperate with the civilian government and put any accused military officer on trial.8221;