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The Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) has accepted the plea of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to stop the hearing of assassination case of Pakistan People's Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and decided not to record the evidences and statements of the witnesses and detained accused in the case till completion of the FIA inquiry.
ATC No 1 judge Malik Akram Awan on Saturday resumed the hearing on the application moved by the FIA Director General on August 17 pleading that the hearing be withheld till completion of inquiry. After hearing the argument from the counsels of Federation and Punjab government, the learnt judge ordered that the court would not record the statements of the witnesses.
But the accused, who are on judicial remand, be produced in the court after every fortnight. During the argument before the ATC judge, Deputy Attorney General Shah Khawar prayed that the trial should be stopped till the receipt of the United Nations fact-finding report. The new facts might come to surface after the report of the UN report, he stated.
The Federal government has constituted a joint investigation team to look into the case afresh. Sardar Ishaq, advocate, who has been appointed Special Public Prosecutor by the Punjab government, opposed the Federal government's move, and prayed for early disposal of the case.
He stated that the case was pending for the last one year and eight months, hence it should be decided at the earliest. Earlier, the defence counsel completed the cross-examination of Magistrate Chaudhry Taufeeq, who had recorded the confessional statements of five accused.
Later, ATC No 1 Judge Akram Awan adjourned the hearing. It is pertinent to note that the FIA Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency Tariq Khosa has moved an application in the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC), pleading to stop hearing on the case.
Tariq Khosa pleaded in the application that the government had assigned the agency to restart the investigation of the case. It was also mentioned in the application that the Special Commission of the United Nations had started the investigation of this high profile murder so that till completion of the investigation, the hearing should be stopped.
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, in a firing and suicide bomb explosion when she was leaving the historical Liaquat Bagh after addressing an election rally. Twenty-five other people, mostly the PPP workers, were also killed.
Five persons, including teenaged Aitzaz Shah, and Sher Zaman, Hasnain Gul, Rafaqat and Abdul Rasheed were arrested by the joint investigation team and after hearing, the Anti-Terrorist Court has sent them to Central Jail, Adiala, on judicial remand. The court also declared slain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud and four of his accomplices, including Abdullah alias Saddam, Faiz Ahmed alias Kiscuit, Ikram alias Usman and Abadur Rehman, as proclaimed offenders.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2009

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