KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Pakistan delegation, set to assist in the investigation into the murder of coach Bob Woolmer, said one of their main tasks was to provide the government with details on how the case was progressing.
Mir Zubair Mahmood, deputy inspector general of investigations in Karachi, told Reuters yesterday that the delegation would travel to Jamaica with an open mind and stay there as long as they were needed.
"Our main job is to assist the Jamaican authorities and also keep our government informed about the progress in the case," he said.
Mahmood was the head investigator in the kidnapping and murder case of journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002. The American was killed by militants while investigating links to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Mahmood and Kaleem Imam, a senior official of the Federal Investigation Agency, have been picked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and government to go to Kingston to assist the authorities.
Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room on March 18, the day after Pakistan lost to Ireland and were knocked out of the World Cup. He was pronounced dead in hospital later that day. Jamaican investigators are treating the death as murder.
"At the moment we are going with an open and blank mind. We will see what happens when we get there," Mahmood said.
"How long we stay there depends on the demand and the situation."
The chairman of the PCB, Nasim Ashraf, was due to leave yesterday for Cape Town to attend a memorial service for Woolmer.
The Pakistan board has constituted a three-member committee to look into reasons for the poor performance of the team in the World Cup, in particular the defeat against Ireland.
"The committee will hold its preliminary meeting today to decide on the framework under which it will complete its work in 30 days," Saleem Altaf, a member said.