Washington, Jan 13: President Pervez Musharraf has rejected charges that the government was complicit in former premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, and called for exhumation of her body.

Musharraf said Bhutto's body should be exhumed to determine once and for all whether a bullet killed her.

"Yes, exhume it. Hundred percent. I would like it to be exhumed," he told Newsweek from Rawalpindi.

But he ruled out ordering a post-mortem without the agreement of Bhutto's family.

Asked why he should not use his executive power to order one, he said: "Everything is not black and white here.

It would have very big political ramifications. If I just ordered the body exhumed, that would be careless, unless (Bhutto's) people agreed. But they will not," The News quoted Musharraf, as saying.

He said Bhutto's supporters have not agreed to a post-mortem "because they know it's a fact there is nothing wrong."

"Everybody is trying to gain political advantage; the entire opposition is trying to take political advantage," he said.

The Pakistani Government has offered to exhume her body and conduct an autopsy, but Bhutto's family says it will only agree if Musharraf allows an UN-led inquiry into the murder, which he has ruled out.

"There cannot be a UN investigation. There are not two or three countries involved. Why should there be a UN investigation? This is ridiculous," Musharraf said.

Commenting on reports that the US is thinking about launching CIA operations in Pakistan, Musharraf said: "We are totally in cooperation on the intelligence side," he said.

"But we are totally against (a military operation). We are a sovereign country. We will ask for assistance from outsiders. They won't impose their will on us." (ANI)