Pakistan ambassador denies Bhutto claims

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The Pakistan ambassador to the United States said claims made by Benazir Bhutto that government officials were behind an assassination attempt were unfounded.

Speaking to The New York Times editorial board Thursday, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani said Bhutto’s allegations that past and current government officials backed an assassination attempt on Oct. 18 were baseless.

“I think, with due respect to her, it was absurd,” Durrani said of Bhutto’s claims.

Durrani’s comments come amid speculation regarding the stability of the Pakistani government. A speculated political alliance between Bhutto and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf seemed unstable, though Duranni said of the situation that “it’s doable.”

His comments come on the heels of a letter by leading U.S. senators to Musharraf calling for a “thorough and transparent inquiry” into the assassination attempt, citing concerns that the Musharraf government had links to the attempt.

Bhutto, a two-time prime minister of Pakistan, returned to the country Oct. 18 after eight years of self-imposed exile.