RAWALPINDI:
The judge of an anti-terrorism court hearing the Benazir Bhutto murder case expressed his annoyance over the absence of lawyers representing former first lady Sehba Musharraf, warning of an ex parte decision.
Special Judge ATC-I Shahid Rafique observed on Saturday that he might proceed ex parte to decide the application of Sehba Musharraf on the next date of hearing if her lawyers fail to turn up again.
The applicant had challenged a decision of the court that declared her husband former president Pervez Musharraf a proclaimed offender, after he avoided court proceedings in the case in which he was cited an accused.
Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali had already raised objection over the maintenance of the application, saying Sehba Musharraf had not signed the application herself.
He further argued that under the criminal procedure law, no proclaimed offender could be represented in absence unless he/she was either arrested or had obtained bail from the court of law.
Separately, the court formally initiated a formal trial in the case and recorded the statements of two police officers who were deputed at Rawalpindi’s City police station on December 27, 2007, when former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and 24 of her supporters were killed in a gun and bomb attack.
The court summoned as many as eight more prosecution witnesses to record their statements on December 10, the next date of hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
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@Mirza: Mr.Mirza,how are you? I appreciate your perseverance.Once Pakistan Army is shown its duties every problem of Pakistan will be solved.But for this all political parties should unite leaving aside their differences.They should not take help from army to settle their personal score.Long live Pakistan Democracy.
Why are you harassing his poor wife?
It will be fun to watch all these judges, if Mush again somehow came in power..ha ha! Because in the Nov 2 Emergency Declaration it was mentioned "this step (imposition of emergency) cannot be undone" , but they did it!
@Mohammad: Yes indeed !
@Mohammad: Indeed it is!
Revenge and personal ego comes first. No can harm nation's hero. Musharraf is set come in March, while the political opponents are already feeling the heat.
I would be extremely happy for Pakistan the day Courts takes decisions on merits. Yet, after the so called independence of Judiciary, revenge is taken legally.
typical Pakistan: exceptions for influential people, arrogant rulers, weak democracy, corruption off the charts and yet the indifference among Pakistani citizens continues to rule above everything else...
No Comments.
Treason and murder cases crawl in lower courts for years. However, the memo and executive appointments are taken up directly by the SC bypassing all legal norms and on emergency basis. As if the SC has nothing else to do except wait for the political cases. Why is this case not proceeding in a HC? Apart from whether Mush was guilty or not he should get his day in court and justice.