British police officers are flying to Pakistan today to help investigate the death of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
President Pervez Musharraf acknowledged last night that his decision to seek help from Scotland Yard to investigate the killing was partly to reassure people at home and abroad that there was no government involvement.
Before her death, Ms Bhutto had accused elements in the ruling party of plotting to kill her.
Mr Musharraf also implied Ms Bhutto was partly at fault because the opposition leader poked her head out of the sunroof at an election rally despite threats by Islamic extremists, and he rejected accusations of a lapse in security for the former prime minister.
"Here's a situation where maybe we need to go beyond ourselves to prove to the world and our people here, who are emotionally charged, that we don't mind going to any extent, as nobody is involved from the government side or the agencies," Mr Musharraf said last night.
Ms Bhutto's killing on December 27th plunged an already volatile Pakistan deeper into crisis and stoked fears of a political meltdown. It triggered an outbreak of rioting that left nearly 60 people dead.
It also forced a six-week delay in parliamentary elections, now set for February 18th.