Benazir assassination case: Musharraf’s name in the accused list

Public prosecutor says the former president will be declared an absconder if he avoids appearing before the court.

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday put the name of former president Pervez Musharraf on the list of those accused in the assassination case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar submitted a fresh interim charge-sheet before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in this regard, while the final charge-sheet will be submitted within two weeks. “The former president will be declared an absconder if he avoids appearing before the court,” said Zulfiqar.

Former city police officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Saud Aziz and superintendent police Khurram Shahzad have also been formally named in the charge-sheet.

A forensics report was presented in the court which shared data that had been retrieved from Benazir’s BlackBerry. The report said that, in one message, Benazir was quoted as saying that she was constantly being threatened by Musharraf to cooperate with him, or else he could not guarantee her security.

Meanwhile, official sources say that statements by the former chief of the Crisis Management Cell and spokesperson for the interior ministry Brig. (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema and the former chief of Intelligence Bureau Aijaz Shah, recorded earlier under section 161, could be used for prosecution.

During the court proceedings, Justice Rana Nasir Ahmed rejected the bail applications of the former CPO Rawalpindi and SP Shahzad.

The counsel for the police officials Malik Waheed Anjum said that Interior Minister Rehman Malik and senior superintendent police Major (retd) Imtiaz, who was the security adviser and in-charge when the former prime minister was assassinated, were responsible, as they should have stopped Benazir from opening the hatch and coming out of the vehicle.

Anjum contended the investigation team has not been able to produce substantial evidence against both Aziz and Shahzad, despite keeping them on a 24-day physical remand.

Zulfiqar said that all junior police officials deputed on Benazir’s security have also given their statements against these two officials.

He added that Aziz, who was deputed earlier in Gujranwala, was transferred to Rawalpindi on a lower designation, claiming that this was an indication of his involvement in a conspiracy.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2011.