FIA charge-sheet points finger at former CPO, SP

Dr was stopped by CPO Aziz from conducting Benazir's Bhutto's post-mortem examination, despite his insistence.

RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Joint Investigation Team (JIT) charge-sheeted on Monday a former City Police Officer (CPO), Saud Aziz, and the then SP of Rawal Town Khuram Shahbaz, accusing them of being responsible for hosing down the crime scene and providing inadequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The charge-sheet was formally submitted by Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali and Investigation Officer (IO) and Deputy Director of FIA Khalid Rasool in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).

The investigation team maintained that the charge-sheet against three other suspects was withheld pending further investigations.

Earlier, reports emerged that a re-investigation by JIT found no evidence of involvement of the personal security officer of the former premier, Maj (retd) Imtiaz Hussain, the then SP (Operations) Yaseen Farooq and the then SHO of the City police station Kashif Riaz.

However, FIA’s investigation officer Rasool told the court that the three police officials had not been declared innocent, only the part of the charge-sheet about their purported role in the hosing down of the crime scene had been suspended. He said that there was a need to ascertain the extent of negligence, if any.

The charge-sheet submitted in the ATC directly named SP Rawal Town Khurrum Shehzad for ordering fire brigade officials to wash down the crime scene. Investigators quoted  Ghulam Muhammad Naz, the then fire officer, as saying that he had refused to obey the SPs orders and contended that a crime scene should not be washed immediately after the incident. However, the then SP insisted and got the place hosed down.

Dr Mussdaq Khan, who had treated the former prime minister in injured condition, had alleged that despite his insistence, the then CPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz had stopped him from carrying out post-mortem examination on former premier.

Mussdaq also said that at that time Benazir Bhutto was “alive and in her senses”. He said he had tried his best to save her life.

The ATC will begin the formal hearing in the case from November 23 after formally framing charges against the suspects. The public prosecutor, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, told The Express Tribune that investigations to unveil elements actually behind the conspiracy to assassinate the former premier will continue. A report will also be submitted in the court on the completion of this investigation, he said.

The challan submitted in the court said that the conspiracy of Benazir’s murder revolved around the former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud and five suspects arrested earlier by the authorities were said to be involved in the planning and execution of the plot.

It said that two suicide bombers were brought to Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007, to kill Benazir Bhutto. The second was on stand-by at the gate of the public park.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2010.