Benazir murder case: prime witness retracts statement

18 Jan, 2015

Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (Retd), former director general of the National Crisis Management Cell, has surprised many by retracting his earlier statement in a Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. Former Prime Minister and chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.
Federal Investigation Agency had produced Cheema's statement before the court, portraying the Brigadier as a prime witness against former president General Pervez Musharraf, in connection with the Benazir murder case. The statement was submitted to the ATC on 7th February, 2011 wherein Cheema said that he held a press conference a day after Benazir's murder, December 28, 2007, on the advice of General Musharraf.
In the earlier statement, Cheema had also said that he held the press conference to dispel negativity prevailing against the regime and tried to normalise the situation. In his press conference, he had also claimed that Benazir was murdered by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud. He also shared a video with the journalists wherein Baitullah was seen as indirectly claiming responsibility for the murder of Benazir. He has also told journalists that Benazir's death may have been caused by a lever of her vehicle's sunroof.
On Friday in the Anti Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi, Cheema retracted his earlier statement and submitted before the judge that he held the press conference after discussing the matter with the then heads of spy agencies and secretary interior Kamal Shah.In his new statement, the Brigadier has said that he was briefed by heads of Inter Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau on the case who directed him to hold a press conference.

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