ISLAMABAD, Aug 24 The government has formed a new, but high-level team, to investigate the assassination of former prime minister Benazir, a senior official of the interior ministry told Dawn on Monday.

The Special Investigation Group of Federal Investigation Agency has been assigned the task to fix criminal liability on the assassins and planners of the gun-and-bomb attack on Ms Bhutto outside Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007. The SIG's investigation will be parallel to the probe being carried out by a United Nations commission.

“The main reason for the fresh probe is that the inquiry report to be prepared by the UN commission cannot be presented before any court of law as desired by the UN. The government requires a separate investigation report for a proper trial against the criminals in the court,” the official said.

He said the UN's report would have no legal standing and it could not be used for prosecution. The government has lodged an FIR against some people and made some.

According to the sources, the government was not satisfied with the investigation being conducted by police and gave the task to FIA.

The three-member SIG investigation team will be headed by a director of the FIA while officials of Rawalpindi police and intelligence agencies will assist it.

Members of the newly-formed team began their work on Monday and questioned some police officials who were on key posts or deputed on security of Ms Bhutto during her last public meeting in Rawalpindi. The investigators also quizzed senior doctors of the Benazir Bhutto Hospital where she had been brought for treatment.

The fresh move has surprised many political analysts here because the government had earlier announced that the criminal investigation of the case would be initiated after the findings of UN commission. “If the UN investigation report cannot be presented before any court or help local investigators why millions of rupees and time are being wasted on the UN inquiry,” the analysts wondered.

The head of the UN commission, Heraldo Munoz, had categorically announced at a press conference last month that his team would only look into the 'facts and circumstances' leading to Ms Bhutto's assassination and not impose “criminal liability” on anyone.

“Our mandate does not include a criminal investigation,” he had added.The analysts were of the opinion that the UN commission would find out nothing more than what had been ascertained by the Scotland Yard team about the cause of Ms Bhutto's death.

Mohammad Asghar in Rawalpindi adds Members of the United Nations inquiry commission visited on Monday the Benazir Bhutto Hospital, where Ms Bhutto had been brought after the gun-and-bomb attack on her.

According to sources, the UN investigators remained there for more than two hours and examined the operation theatre and room No 6 of the emergency unit where the critically-wounded PPP chairperson had been first brought. They also inspected the car porch of the emergency unit.

Prof Dr Musaddiq Khan, principal of the Rawalpindi Medical College, who was accompanied by Dr Habib Khan, the then medical superintendent of the hospital, presented to the UN team a report about the medial treatment given to Ms Bhutto.

The report was sent by the then Rawalpindi General Hospital to the Punjab health department on Dec 27, 2007.

According to the sources, Dr Musaddiq told the UN team that despite all efforts by doctors Ms Bhutto could not survive and she was declared dead 41 minutes after she was brought to the emergency department at 5.35pm on Dec 27, 2007, with open wounds on her left temporal bone from which “brain matter was exuding”.

Tight security arrangements were made for the UN team. The hospital's outdoor emergency was suspended for the public.