Benazir murder case: ISI claim of intercepting Mehsud communication resurfaces

FIA investigator says an ISI operator told him about intercepting conversation

RAWALPINDI: The question over whether the slain chief of TTP, Baitullah Mehsud, had organised the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is still a mystery.

The controversy surrounding whether the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) intercepted Mehsud’s telephonic conversation, in which he claimed responsibility for the assassination, has arisen again during cross examination of the investigators at an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday.



The investigation officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Benazir Bhutto assassination case informed the court that a former ISI telephone operator, Ismail, had confirmed to the investigation team that he had intercepted the communication between the suspects and the slain terrorist.

The defence counsel of one of the accused, however, refused to accept the federal agent’s statement and asserted that the CD of Mehsud’s conversation was fake.

FIA Assistant Director Shoaib Ahmed, during cross-examination, said that he recorded the statement of ISI official Ismail who taped the mobile phone conversation between Baitullah Mehsud and an unidentified cleric talking about the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto.

Rai Muhammad Ayub Marth, special judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court-I, put off hearing in the case till February 29, after recording the statement of the investigation officer.

Defence counsel Naseer Ahmed Tanoli, who is representing an accused Aitzaz Shah, shared details of cross examination with The Express Tribune.

Tanoli said he asked the FIA investigator if he recorded the statement of the ISI operator and the officer stated in clear words that he had recorded Ismail’s statement. The FIA official said Ismail recognised Mehsud's voice in the conversation, the counsel said.



Advocate Tanoli claimed that the statement of the investigation officer showed the CD of Mehsud’s conversation was fake. To support his claim, the lawyer said that in the investigation report the FIA had noted that Aitzaz Shah recognised Mehsud’s voice in the recorded CD. He said that the FIA had given up on the ISI official's statement. Tanoli further said there were contradictions in the prosecution's claim and the flawed investigation showed the recorded conversation was fake.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2016.