BHC hearing: Balochistan told to produce arrest warrants in Bugti case
The Balochistan High Court on Thursday ordered the provincial government to produce arrest warrants of all the accused nominated in the murder case of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti.
A division bench of the court was hearing a petition against the non-implementation of court orders regarding the arrest of the accused in an FIR lodged at Dera Bugti police station. The petition had been filed by Jamil Akbar Bugti.
A division bench of Balochistan High Court comprising acting chief justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Hashim Khan Kakar passed the order.
The interior secretary submitted a reply through Deputy Attorney General Malik Sikandar, saying the interior ministry would seek extradition of the accused living abroad. The interior secretary further stated that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was directed to take an initiative in order to seek red warrants of the accused from Interpol after the request had been made to the provincial government.
Former president Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former governor [of Balochistan] Owais Ahmed Ghani and former chief minister Jam Yousaf have been accused in the case.
Additional Advocate General Nasrullah Achakzai also submitted an investigation report in the court. The report states that Maulvi Malook, who led the funeral prayers of Nawab Bugti, had said he could not confirm if the body inside the coffin was Nawab Bugti’s.
“I’m not sure whether the man who was brought for burial was Nawab Bugti, as officials never showed me the body,” he stated. Maulvi Malook, who was the only witness who previously claimed to identify the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti, now retracted from his earlier statements to the court.
“I led the funeral prayer under severe pressure from former DCO in Dera Bugti Abdul Samad Lasi,” he added.
The court expressed complete dissatisfaction over the investigation report and the government’s inability to confirm the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti. The hearing of the petition was adjourned till the last week of July.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2011.
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