Ban Ki-moon calls for Bhutto slay probe

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The United Nations is moving to set up a commission to investigate the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, officials said.

Bhutto was slain one year ago Saturday in a suicide bombing and gun attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says he hopes such a commission could be established in the near future, CNN reported.

A statement issued Friday by the U.N. Secretariat indicated talks are underway with members of the Security Council and with Pakistan on how such a panel should be structured.

"On this painful anniversary, the secretary-general stands in solidarity with the government and the people of Pakistan and assures them of his commitment to contribute to their search for truth and justice," the statement said.

When she was assassinated on Dec. 27, 2007, Bhutto was at a campaign rally ahead of parliamentary elections while running for prime minister. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, took over as Pakistan's president this year.