BB murder case: Mark Seigel to record statement on October 1

Naheed Khan to decide becoming party to case after reviewing record

RAWALPINDI: The interior ministry on Monday presented a letter by US author Mark Seigel to the court in which he expressed willingness to record his statement in the Benazir Bhutto murder case on October 1.

The testimony, which was earlier scheduled for August 27, was delayed due to Seigel’s ill health. The author, however, has said he is fit and ready to record his statement on October 1. The letter has been made a part of the case record.

Rawalpindi DCO Sajid Zafar Dal told the court that arrangements had been made for video conferencing at the Rawalpindi commissioner’s office which will be declared a part of the court.

Judge Rai Muhammad Ayub Marth of the special anti-terrorism court (ATC) heard the case on Monday.

Investigators had included Siegel’s name in the list of prosecution witnesses to use his testimony against former president Pervez Musharraf. Siegel was a close friend of the slain former premier.

The ATC had summoned Siegel but he had refused to travel to Pakistan citing security reasons. He, however, had agreed to record his statement.

Seigel will record the statement from Pakistan’s embassy in Washington DC at around 7pm (Pakistan time). The embassy premises will be declared an extension of the court as well.

Naheed Khan’s entry

Bhutto’s former political secretary Naheed Khan, who had sought record of the case, also appeared in court on Monday. Khan said she would review the record and the decide whether to become a party in the case. The court accepted her request and ordered that she be provided the record.

Khan also denied that she had asked Bhutto to open the sunroof of her vehicle on the day of her assassination, as was stated by Bhutto’s driver Jaivaidur Rehman in his testimony.

Professor Yousuf Azam, a senior doctor at the Rawalpindi District Headquarters Hospital, was also presented before the court as a prosecution witness. However, prosecutors Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar and Khawaja Imtiaz Advocate declined his inclusion as a witness and did not question him.

The court then summoned Inspector Kashif Riaz and SSP Tahir Alam, who were the first investigation officer and complainant of three witnesses in the case respectively on the next hearing, scheduled on September 21.

Former DIG Saud Aziz, SP Khurram Shahzad and other suspects were present in the court. Advocate Safdar Javed represented Musharraf, who is in Karachi.

The murder case was registered in Rawalpindi City Police Station on December 27, 2007. It has been lingering on for seven years, eight months and 18 days now. There were 141 witnesses in the case. Of them, 57 have recorded their testimonies, 61 have been rejected and 23 are yet to record their statements.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2015.