ISLAMABAD, 10 January 2008 — Scotland Yard has sent three explosives experts to Pakistan to beef up its team investigating the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, an official said yesterday.

The detectives are experts in the type of explosives used in the gun and suicide bomb attack which killed Benazir and nearly two dozens of her supporters after an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi on Dec. 27, he said.

The British anti-terrorism detectives arrived last week following an invitation from President Pervez Musharraf, who had admitted Pakistani investigators had made mistakes in the initial probe of the murder. They have collected forensic evidence, reconstructed the crime scene, and recorded statements from witnesses and the medical team that tried to revive Benazir after the attack.

“There is no breakthrough yet. We are examining the evidence closely with all technical help and expertise from Scotland Yard,” a senior Pakistani investigator said. Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party has demanded an independent UN investigation and accused the government of a “conspiracy” over the slaying of its most outspoken critic ahead of key general elections. The People’s Party claimed yesterday that authorities were carrying out a massive crackdown on its supporters to stop them from taking part in next month’s elections.

The government in Benazir’s home province of Sindh denied her party had been targeted, but said around 1,000 people had been arrested on a range of charges stemming from rioting that broke out after her Dec. 27 assassination, which left 60 people dead and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

“The common people suffered a lot of damage to their property and whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” said Akhtar Zamin, Sindh’s interior minister. “We have nothing to do with anyone’s party affiliation. We are objectively investigating to sort out the real culprits.”

Latif Khosa, a senior senator from Benazir’s party, told reporters that police had filed charges against 400,000 of its supporters nationwide and arrested “thousands” of others.

Khosa alleged the arrests were to prevent Benazir supporters “from taking part in the election process.” Musharraf blames militants for Bhutto’s killing, which thrust Pakistan even deeper into political crisis at a time when it is battling fighters linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taleban movement.

Meanwhile, a number of anti-government protests were held in major cities of the country.