Credibility test

Pakistan | Will Musharraf allow transparency in post-Bhutto elections? | Jill Nelson

Farah Ispahani knows full well the risk involved in running for parliament in Pakistan's upcoming election. As a member of Benazir Bhutto's media team, she witnessed the carnage of her leader's assassination. Her husband, a former advisor to Bhutto and co-chair of a Washington think tank, has mixed feelings about her candidacy: "I am worried about the safety not only of my wife, but many women in Pakistan. Pakistan's violence is multidimensional, it's out of control and the worst thing is that in many cases nobody knows who is projecting the violence," Husain Haqqani said.

The Dec. 27 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto remains shrouded in mystery. Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, has agreed to a little help from Scotland Yard but has warned investigators not to go on any "wild goose chases." A UN investigation into Bhutto's death as requested by her supporters is out of the question, he said.