Benazir murder case: Rehman Malik ‘unnecessary witness’, says prosecution
Prosecution had informed the ATC that former interior minister’s statement was not needed
Prosecution had informed the ATC that former interior minister’s statement was not needed.
RAWALPINDI:
Prosecution in the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder case on Monday informed an anti-terrorism court (ATC) that they did not want to record statement of the former interior minister, Rehman Malik, calling him an “unnecessary witness”.
Special Judge ATC-I Rai Muhammad Ayub Marth put off the hearing in the case till February 22 and summoned Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqi, assistant director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and an investigation officer of the case, to record their statement.
Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar said that the FIA had decided not to produce Malik as a witness.
The prosecution had earlier cited Malik as one of the witnesses in the case.
According to information gathered by this scribe, Malik had earlier given a statement to the FIA.
In his statement to the FIA, Malik had said that he was with former prime minister in Dubai where she had talks with former president Pervez Musharraf.
He had said that Benazir Bhutto asked for security on her return to Pakistan, but Musharraf asked her to return only after December 2007.
The prosecution had given up on statement of Malik apprehending that there could be contradictions in claims of the FIA.
The FIA had also recorded the statements of the US journalist Mark Siegel and former interior secretary Kamal Shah about role of Musharraf in the case.
Prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar, while talking to The Express Tribune confirmed that they had given up on Malik.
He said that the witness had become “unnecessary” in the case.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor said that the federal interior ministry had withdrawn his security recently.
He said that he was feeling unsafe.
Azhar said that his colleague Chaudhry Zulfikar, also a prosecutor in the case, was gunned down in Islamabad in May 2013.
He said that an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad had directed the ministry of interior to provide security to the prosecutors after that incident.
Azhar said that he wrote a letter to the secretary interior on February 12, 2016 for providing him security as he frequently travels due to his professional work.
He said that he had received no formal reply as yet from the interior ministry.
Azhar added that an official in the ministry had told him that the security was withdrawn on direction of Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2016.
Prosecution in the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder case on Monday informed an anti-terrorism court (ATC) that they did not want to record statement of the former interior minister, Rehman Malik, calling him an “unnecessary witness”.
Special Judge ATC-I Rai Muhammad Ayub Marth put off the hearing in the case till February 22 and summoned Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqi, assistant director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and an investigation officer of the case, to record their statement.
Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar said that the FIA had decided not to produce Malik as a witness.
The prosecution had earlier cited Malik as one of the witnesses in the case.
According to information gathered by this scribe, Malik had earlier given a statement to the FIA.
In his statement to the FIA, Malik had said that he was with former prime minister in Dubai where she had talks with former president Pervez Musharraf.
He had said that Benazir Bhutto asked for security on her return to Pakistan, but Musharraf asked her to return only after December 2007.
The prosecution had given up on statement of Malik apprehending that there could be contradictions in claims of the FIA.
The FIA had also recorded the statements of the US journalist Mark Siegel and former interior secretary Kamal Shah about role of Musharraf in the case.
Prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar, while talking to The Express Tribune confirmed that they had given up on Malik.
He said that the witness had become “unnecessary” in the case.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor said that the federal interior ministry had withdrawn his security recently.
He said that he was feeling unsafe.
Azhar said that his colleague Chaudhry Zulfikar, also a prosecutor in the case, was gunned down in Islamabad in May 2013.
He said that an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad had directed the ministry of interior to provide security to the prosecutors after that incident.
Azhar said that he wrote a letter to the secretary interior on February 12, 2016 for providing him security as he frequently travels due to his professional work.
He said that he had received no formal reply as yet from the interior ministry.
Azhar added that an official in the ministry had told him that the security was withdrawn on direction of Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2016.