FIA prosecutor also stays away citing security threats. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
RAWALPINDI:
The judge of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday expressed annoyance over the non-appearance of former president Gen. (retd) Pervez Musharraf and Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special prosecutor in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case.
When the hearing started, police and jail officials informed the special judge, Chaudhry Habibur Rahman of ATC-1 that Musharraf could not be brought to court due to security threats.
The judge also expressed displeasure over the non-appearance of FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar Ali and asked FIA Deputy Director Khalid Rasool to ensure his presence on the next hearing. “If you don’t appear before the court how will the case proceed?” the judge asked.
The court ordered the accused as well as the prosecution to appear on the next hearing so that copies of charge sheets could be distributed among the accused and hearings could resume.
The FIA prosecutor is reluctant to appear before the court after the assassination of Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali due to death threats.
The court has ordered the police to provide security to Ali but City Police Officer Abdur Razzaq Cheema informed the court that the police could provide security cover to Chaudhry Azhar Ali from Benazir Bhutto International Airport to ATC-1 but not round-the-clock.
Talking to The Express Tribune, the FIA special prosecutor said no security has so far been given to him. “I’m pursuing high profile cases like the Hajj corruption case, Mumbai attacks and Benazir Bhutto murder case. I’m also receiving threats and everyone knows about it,” he said and added that if he wasn’t provided security it would be difficult for him to appear in court. The defence parties in these cases are very powerful and even witnesses are receiving threats, he stated.
Defence lawyers had filed two applications on the previous hearing, one for exemption from Tuesday’s hearing and the second requesting complete exemption from appearance in court. The court accepted the request regarding exemption for Tuesday and issued notices to FIA for the second one.
There are eight accused in the assassination case of former premier Benazir Bhutto, including the former president, SP Khurram Shehzad and DIG Saud Aziz, Ashfaq Ahmed.
Defence was represented by Munawar Abid and Amanat Ali, while senior lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar did not appear before the court. On the last hearing, FIA had declared Musharraf the prime accused in Benazir Bhutto assassination case.
The former president is being detained at his farmhouse in Chak Shahzad.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2013.
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