CRI听力：Death Toll in Pakistan Riots Reaches 38

The Pakistani government says mass rioting following the assassination of former Prime Minister and chairperson of the People's Party, Benazir Bhutto, has led to the deaths of 38 people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Javed Iqbal Cheema, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the overall situation in the country was satisfactory but he warned that nobody would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.

Cheema also responded to reports by Bhutto's aides that she died of gunshot wounds and not from the explosion of a subsequent suicide attack as the government had previously said.

"Well I think what I said that it is immaterial as to how she died. What is more important is who are the people who killed her? I think that is more important. Who are the people who perpetrated this cowardly act? I think we have to uncover those people."

He said Bhutto's party was free to exhume her body if they wanted to conduct a postmortem.

The government has said Bhutto's widow Asif Ali Zardari did not allow such an examination before the opposition leader was buried on Friday.

Cheema also said Pakistan did not need the help of the international community to investigate the assassination.

"This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which you require the assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it."

Bhutto was killed on Thursday as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi. More than 20 others also died and nearly 60 were injured in the attack.

Violence has been widespread in the country since the assassination.