'Saud Aziz being victimised in BB assassination case'

Former CPO's lawyer says a media trial of his client is being held while the allegations against him remain unproven.

RAWALPINDI: The legal counsel of former City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Saud Aziz, Waheed Anjum, claimed that his client is being victimized by his portrayal as the killer of Benazir Bhutto as the allegations against him are yet to be proven.

Aziz’s lawyer, while addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, said that the allegations leveled against the former CPO were baseless. He said that both the accused were public servants and did not have links with any political factions.

The lawyer said that while two other police officers were not being made a part of the investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a media trial of his client and Superintendent Police (SP) Khurram Shahzad was being held.

He asked why a probe was not being launched to trace Ms Bhutto's mobile phone and why only his client was being held responsible while the likes of Ashfaq Anwar, the police official responsible for overseeing Ms Bhutto’s security, had been allowed to go on a three year leave out of the country.

Anjum reiterated Saud Aziz’s claims of innocence saying that his client had not ordered Ashfaq Anwar to leave Ms Bhutto’s procession.

The lawyer, quoting from the joint investigation team's (JIT) report showed that the security advisors of Benazir Bhutto had been warned against her coming out of her vehicle's roof-top and were assured that it would not happen again. He further said that the crime scene was washed only after the collection of evidence, adding that the order for not having an autopsy of the body was given by her husband, President Asif Ali Zardari, and not his client.

Court denies physical remand of police officers

An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday refused to extend the physical remand of former CPO Saud Aziz and Superintendent Police (SP) Khurram Shahzad in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

FIA officials had requested that the court extend the physical remand of Aziz and Shahzad for nine more days. The ATC turned down the request and sent the accused to jail on a judicial remand, the court has also ordered the FIA to present the two accused in court on January 12.