Benazir murder case appeals fixed

A special division bench of the Lahore High Court will take up on Tuesday (today) different appeals filed against the Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) verdict in Benazir Bhutto murder case after a gap of 7 years and 10 days.

The bench consisting of Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf and Justice Chaudhary Abdul Aziz will hear the appeals of the accused police officers, including two convicts, President Asif Zardari and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, while leaving the Liaquat Bagh after holding an election rally there. On August 31, 2017 – after 10 years, 8 months, and 3 days – the then ATC judge pronounced the verdict.

The judge convicted two police officers City Police Officer Saud Aziz and Superintendent of Police Khurram Shahzad and awarded each of them a 17 years jail term and a fine of Rs10 million. The two police officers were arrested after the verdict.

Five other accused in the case, Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Rafaqat, Hasnain and Abdul Rasheed were acquitted, while a permanent arrest warrant was issued against former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who was abroad at that time. The court also ordered confiscation of his property.

After the verdict, the two convicted police officers filed two separate appeals for their acquittal, while Zardari filed three appeals for the announcement of sentence to Musharraf in absentia and bringing him to Pakistan, and against the acquittal of the five accused.

Simultaneously, the FIA filed five appeals for pronouncing the sentence against Musharraf, and convicting and sentencing the five acquitted accused, besides increasing the sentences of the two convicted police officers.

Three of the five acquitted persons Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman and Hasnain have since been released on bail, while Rafaqat has disappeared after his release. Abdul Rasheed, however, is still imprisoned in the Adiala Jail for the last 17 and a half years.

The court has issued notices to all the accused and their lawyers for the hearing on Tuesday. Zardari's lawyer was Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, who has now left the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and distanced himself from the case.

The lawyer for the two convicted police officers is Azam Nazir Tarar, who has now become the federal law minister. It was unclear who will represent the appellants in the hearing or whether new lawyers would appear in the court.

However, the lawyers for the five other accused were expected to appear in the court. Since former president Musharraf has died, it was expected that his name would be taken out from the appeals.