Islamabad:The 11-member Scotland Yard team probing former premier Benazir Bhutto's assassination has been asked to assist Pakistani authorities only to establish the exact cause of her death.

A statement issued today by the British High Commission said, according to an agreement with the Pakistan government, the "principal purpose of the (Scotland Yard team's) deployment is to assist the local authorities in providing clarity regarding the precise cause of Ms Bhutto's death".

The British High Commission's statement said: "At the request of the Pakistan government, New Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) is deploying a team of investigators to support the Pakistan law enforcement agencies responsible for investigating the death of Benazir Bhutto.

"The principal purpose of the SO15 deployment is to assist the local authorities in providing clarity regarding the precise cause of Ms Bhutto's death. "The team will provide forensic expertise and other investigative assistance as appears appropriate to the senior officer, Detective Superintendent MacBrayne, who will lead the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) team."

The cause of Bhutto's death has become the subject of a major controversy after Pakistan's interior ministry initially said she succumbed to a skull fracture sustained during a suicide attack in Rawalpindi on December 27.

The British officers will "assist and report to the Pakistan senior investigators" and the "primacy and responsibility for the investigation remains with the Pakistan authorities", the statement said.

Source : PTI