GUJRAT, Jan 2: The investigation into Benazir Bhutto's assassination has entered its final phase and now it is matter of days and not months that the people involved in the crime will be exposed regardless of their position.

Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said this while talking to Dawn here on Sunday after condoling the death of the father of Younas Saqi, a former president of the local press club.

Mr Kaira said not only the PPP workers but the entire nation wanted to see the assassins of Benazir Bhutto punished and that the party as well as the family of the deceased leader was committed to that cause.

The assassins would be exposed sooner than later, he said.

Admitting that the government had failed to provide any substantial relief to the poor who were the PPP's actual voters, he said it was mainly because the federal government had to take some very difficult economic decisions which were purely in the country's interest.

Talking about imposition of the reformed general sales tax (RGST), he criticised those opposing the broadening of the tax net in the country, asking that how a government could resolve the masses' economic issues and get rid of foreign and internal loans without increasing its income by widening the tax collection.

He said the PPP-led coalition had so far raised the salaries of the government employees up to 100 per cent, claiming that it was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan.

Denying that the government was bowing to international pressure for launching an operation in the North Waziristan, the information minister said any decision in this regard would be taken by the government and the security forces of Pakistan if it was thought to be in the country's interest.

Saying that the government was making efforts to keep both Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl in the coalition, he added Maulana Fazalur Rehman was an intelligent politician and knew the problems the country was confronted with.

However, he said even if the Maulana did not return to the coalition, there would be no threat to the government.