Pakistan is determined to keep the investigation of the death of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto within the country, even though there are conflicting accounts of her assassination on Thursday.

"This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which you require the assistance of the international community," interior ministry spokesman Brig.-Gen. Javed Iqbal Cheema said Saturday.

A video image of a person holding a gun (circled) just behind Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's car on Thursday.
(CBC)

Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil, the election commission is supposed to meet Monday to decide what to do about the vote set for Jan. 8, and on Sunday, Bhutto's son is expected to read out her will and, it's believed, a letter she wrote in the event she died.

The government has advanced two theories about Bhutto's death. It has blamed al-Qaeda, and also suggested she died after her head was thrust against the sunroof lever of her vehicle as a bomb went off nearby.

But CBC reporters in Pakistan said people believe her death was the responsibility of her opponent and current President Pervez Musharraf. "It is his responsibility to take care of all the people," one man said.

Government explanations rejected

Both the government explanations of Bhutto's death have been rejected by people who have some knowledge of the situation.

A top aide, who was in the car behind Bhutto's when it was attacked, called the government's claim that Bhutto was not shot "the most bizarre, dangerous nonsense."

"It's beginning to look like a coverup to me," Pakistan People's Party information secretary Sherry Rehman told CNN.

Rehman said she looked on as Bhutto's body was bathed and clearly saw that she had bullet wounds to the head.

Video of the incident shows a man standing behind Bhutto's car and firing a handgun three times toward the vehicle, before the bomb blast.

Militant leader not involved, spokesman says

Despite the government claim, an al-Qaeda spokesman has denied that one of its leaders, Baitullah Mehsud, was involved.

Bhutto in her car seconds before she died.
(CBC)

On Friday, the interior ministry released a transcript of a purported conversation in which militant leader Mehsud "congratulated his people for carrying out this cowardly act," Cheema said.

On Saturday, a spokesman told the Associated Press that Mehsud was not involved in the attack and dismissed the allegations. "Baitullah Mehsud is not involved in the killing of Benazir Bhutto," said Maulana Mohammed Umer.

Mehsud heads Tehrik-i-Taliban, a newly formed coalition of Islamic militants committed to waging holy war against the government, a key U.S. ally in its "war on terror."

Rioters cause widespread damage

On Saturday, rioters set fire to hundreds of stores, banks, railway stations and offices, causing millions of dollars worth of damage. At least 40 people died across Pakistan.

Police clashed with rioters in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was killed, firing canisters of tear gas as they tried to halt the outpouring of anger.

Musharraf ordered his security chiefs to end the riots, giving them authority to deal "firmly" with rioters.

Pakistanis are doubtful that holding the Jan. 8 elections makes sense, given that the opposition leader has just been killed. But Musharraf and the U.S. want the vote to go ahead.

With files from the Associated Press