An anti-terrorism court on Saturday expressed its displeasure over non-compliance of its orders regarding arrest warrants of former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf (Retd) in Benazir Bhutto assassination case and directed the investigators to ensure compliance with the order before May 21.
Rana Nisar Ahmed, Judge of the Anti Terrorist Court (ATC) III resumed the hearing of the high profile murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in high security prison of Central Jail Adiala and on failure to present report regarding arrest of Pervez Musharraf, the judge summoned DG FIA Malik Iqbal and reprimanded him for non arrest of former president.
The learned judge expressed his dismay over lethargic attitude of the prosecution and gave last chance to DG FIA and head of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) for ensuring the arrest of former military dictator. It is strange that why FIA is not telling the court as what or who is barring them to delay the presentation of the report regarding the compliance and non-compliance of the arrest warrants of Musharraf. Why the case is being delayed due to irresponsible and lethargic attitude by the investigators, the court asked.
The FIA chief informed the judge that FIA is moving forward on the compliance of arrest warrants against Pervez Musharraf under the set procedures. FIA raised the matter with Ministry of Interior, which sent letters to Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue.
"We are waiting for response from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and till any reply from Ministry of foreign Affairs, FIA is not in a position to give any deadline", the DG FIA told the court. In his argument the counsel of former CPO Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shahzad pleaded before the court that being a former head (Musharraf) of the country's strongest institution, FIA has included his name in 'Challan' but now they are facing the music due to failure to comply with court orders.
The counsel of other accused in this high profile assassination, Malik Waheed Anjum pleaded before the court that the court should summon Secretaries of Ministry of Interior and Ministry of foreign Affairs to ask them about the process, so that the unwanted delay in compliance of the warrants be avoided. On this, the learned judge ruled that FIA was given 15-day time to present detailed report regarding compliance of the warrants and if they failed then the court will move ahead to summon these persons.
The court has also turned down the hearing of the FIA application to declare Pervez Musharraf as proclaimed offender and to impound his all movable and immovable property. It is pertinent to note that the prosecution had moved an application before the ATC-III to declare Pervez Musharraf, as proclaimed offender after the British Government turned down the Pakistan's demand to hand over Musharraf to Pakistan. Pakistan had also decided to contact INTERPOL for circulation of global arrest warrants of Pervez Musharraf in Benazir Bhutto assassination case, after refusal from British government.
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