ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Sunday rejected reports that security lapses on the part of police and PPP guards had led to the attack on Benazir Bhutto’s procession in Karachi on Oct 18.

A PPP spokesperson claimed that the only reason the attackers were successful in penetrating the security cordon was that the street lights on Sharea Faisal had been switched off.

“The PPP views the lack of lights at Sharea Faisal as a deliberate act of sabotage to facilitate the bombers,” he said.

The party had requested the authorities to take DIG Manzoor Mughal out of the investigation team, he said. DIG Mughal, he alleged, was present when Asif Ali Zardari was almost killed under police torture in 1999 and was saved only by intervention of the courts, media, diplomatic community and the then governor. The PPP gave a list of police officers who could be picked for the panel of inquiry.

The PPP urged people to come forward if they had any information regarding plots against Ms Bhutto.

The PPP called upon the government to seek technical advice and cooperation from international experts with experience in investigating terrorist attacks. The government, the statement said, had informed the PPP that it could not provide more than three police vehicles at any time. This meant that one part of Ms Bhutto’s vehicle would be left unprotected and be vulnerable to attacks.

In a letter to security personnel on Oct 1, PPP general secretary Raja Pervez Ashraf had noted that international grants were available for providing experts.He said that all politicians should be provided security by the government, adding that militants and terrorists should not be allowed to derail the political process.