Benazir Bhutto crime scene washed after collecting evidence: Witnesses

A district emergency officer and a firefighter inform the ATC that they wiped the crime scene to avoid public panic.

RAWALPINDI: Two main prosecution witnesses in Benazir Bhutto's murder case on Thursday told the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-I) that the crime scene was washed off after all necessary evidence had been collected, per official procedure.        

District Emergency Officer Dr Abdul Rehman and Firefighting Officer Ghulam Muhammad Naz appeared before Special Judge of ATC Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman for cross-questioning and stated that if the crime scene had not been cleansed immediately, the law and order situation would have worsened there.

They said that it had become standard procedure to wipe crime scenes of bomb blasts and suicide attacks within 90 to 105 minutes to avoid public provocation.

Naz further said that when he reached the site of Benazir’s murder, police and security officials were busy procuring evidence.

“When all evidences were collected from the site, the fire brigade washed off the area after receiving the orders.”

Dr Rehman informed the court that there was no negligence as all evidence was gathered with proper care.He warned that that the law and order situation in the city would have worsened if the pools of blood and debris had not been removed from the scene immediately.

Former chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto was killed in Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

On February 13, the Rawalpindi Bench of Lahore High Court, on a petition filed by the FIA, ordered the ATC to hear Benazir's murder case on a daily basis and complete its trial within three months.