Britain to help probe Bhutto killing

AP Photo: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf speaks to the national in this image taken from TV Wednesday...

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• Scotland Yard to help in Bhutto probe AP

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Pervez Musharraf announced Wednesday that Scotland Yard will help investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, reversing his initial rejection of foreign help after he came under pressure to allow a U.N. probe.

Authorities also pushed back parliamentary elections until Feb. 18 — a six-week delay prompted by the rioting that followed the opposition leader's death. Opposition parties condemned the delay but still plan to take part in the elections, seen as a key step in bringing democracy to Pakistan after years of military rule.

Both developments could ease the turmoil that has gripped Pakistan since Bhutto's slaying in a gun and suicide bomb attack Thursday, which plunged the nation deeper into political crisis as it struggles to contain an explosion of Islamic militant violence.

The government declared just one day after the attack on Bhutto that an al-Qaida-linked militant orchestrated the killing and aired video footage. But the hasty accusation only served to cast doubt over the government's account of exactly how she died. READ MORE

~ Pakistan Reports, "pray for Pakistan"