Benazir assassination: Detained police officers sent to jail

Counsel for police officials blames Malik, SSP for security lapses.

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has rejected a request of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for extending the physical remand of former city police officer (CPO) Saud Aziz and superintendent police (SP) Khurram Shahzad in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case and sent them to jail on a two-week judicial remand.

Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar on Wednesday requested the court to extend the physical remand of the police officials for nine more days. However, the court rejected his request and sent them on judicial remand till January 12.

However, Malik Waheed Anjum, the attorney for the police officials, told the court that there was no need for extending physical remand. He said both police officials had already handed over their mobile phones and the FIA could not prove anything despite keeping them in their custody.

During the hearing, the court expressed dissatisfaction over an FIA letter sent to the interior ministry to seek permission to  include Military Intelligence (MI)and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials by falsely attributing the move to the court.

“Why shouldn’t a show-cause notice be issued to FIA officials,” the court asked, saying that it had never done so and it is up to the FIA to include or exclude them. Later, the investigation officer apologised to the court on this issue.

Later, speaking at a news conference, Ajum expressed serious concern over the FIA investigations, saying that his clients were innocent because the allegations against them were yet to be proven. “The prosecution is continuously insisting on the recovery of mobile phones from the two police officials but why has no probe been launched to trace Benazir Bhutto’s mobile phone … why are only my clients being held responsible for this,” he questioned.

He said Interior Minister Rehman Mailk and Senior Superintendent Police Major (retd) Imtiaz, who was security adviser and in-charge when the former prime minister was assassinated, were responsible as they should have stopped Benazir from opening the hatch and coming out.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2010.

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�O' (ial vehicles. It has sought a detailed report on cars being used by government functionaries and given a ruling to recover the extra cost of fuel from respective secretaries.

Senator Waqar, in a talk with The Express Tribune, said he sought permission for the import of one bullet-proof vehicle for his personal use, with an assurance that he would pay for this. His brother and his father moved separate applications, he added. However, when contacted, the office of the secretary privatization confirmed that the actual number of vehicles for which exemption was requested was three, and not one.

In response, Senator Waqar clarified that secretary privatization just sent a reminder to the interior ministry. “I used the secretary’s office to send a reminder to the interior ministry for the issuance of an NOC, as I think the bureaucracy can easily obtain permission after my request to Interior Minister Rehman Malik fell on the deaf ears,” he said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

He added that he would purchase the vehicles and pay all duties. “However, I have yet to find a financier to buy the bullet-proof vehicles on lease,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2010.