LAHORE, Jan 3: Pakistan People’s Party leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Thursday sought to dispel an impression that the PPP considered President Pervez Musharraf responsible for the assassination of its chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Talking to reporters at the Lahore airport before leaving for Karachi, he said the PPP did not want to blame any individual for the murder. What Ms Bhutto had stated in her letter to her lobbyist in Washington, Mark Siegel, was that she had sent President Musharraf a list of names of persons who could be involved in the Oct 18 blasts in Karachi. Her letter stated that in case the president did not take action on that list he should be held partly responsible for her assassination, Mr Fahim said.

He refuted reports that he had gone to Islamabad to meet the president.

He expressed the hope that the election would not be delayed beyond Feb 18 and said the nation could not afford any further postponement.

He said the PPP would not be responsible for consequences if the election was rigged.

Regarding the president’s announcement to invite Scotland Yard for investigating the assassination, he said his party wanted the matter to be probed by the United Nations as demanded by its central executive committee. He said the decision to involve Scotland Yard had been taken under pressure.

“Why did the government refuse to carry out international investigation of the Oct 18 bombing?,” he asked. He said the CEC would decide whether to cooperate with Scotland Yard.

He said the decision to make Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the chairperson of the PPP had been taken unanimously and the party was united under his leadership. He criticised allegations that Punjabis in Sindh had been treated badly after the assassination of the former prime minister.