Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: Slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairwoman Benazir Bhutto’s 9th death anniversary will be observed tomorrow (Tuesday) across Pakistan.

A major ceremony will be organised in Larkana while various factions of the PPP will mark the day separately in Rawalpindi.

The Liaquat Bagh tragedy has not reached its logical end despite a lapse of nine years. Her husband Asif Zardari remained in power for five years and half of the tenure of Nawaz Sharif has passed, six judges of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) have been changed and 350 hearings have taken place in the BB’s murder case, but to no avail.

As many as eight challans have been presented in this case and this process is still continuing. The accused have been indicted thrice.

BB was killed in a suicide attack on December 27, 2007 when she was returning from Liaquat Bagh after addressing a public gathering in connection with her election campaign.

Initially, a case was registered against unidentified people by City Police Station House Officer Kashif Riaz.

Later, banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud was nominated in the case. Following the nomination, another 15 people, including former president Pervez Musharraf, former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former SP Khurram Shahzad were also nominated.

Three accused, including Pervez Musharraf, Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad have been granted bail. Five accused Muhammad Rafaqat, Hasnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Rashid Ahmad and Aitzaz Shah are arrested and Baitullah Mehsud, Ibadur Rehman alias Noman alias Usman, Abdullah alias Saddam, Faiz Muhammad, Ikramullah, Nasrullah and Nadir alias Qari Ismail are still at large. According to reports, these accused have been killed in military operations.

Statements of 55 witnesses have been recorded and their cross questioning process has been completed. The process for recording statements of the accused under Clause 342 is underway. Prosecution has filed an application in the court to summon Musharraf.

The trial is being conducted in Adiala jail at present. During the trial, FIA counsel Chaudhry Zulfiqar was gunned down in 2013.

Under terrorism act, it is mandatory that challan of the case should be presented within 14 days and summary trial should be completed within 3 months.

The tragedy took place on December 27 but the first challan was presented by joint investigation team (JIT) in February 2008. The matter for conducting fresh investigation into this case was assigned to FIA by the government.

Musharraf was nominated in the report filed in the court after the case was assigned to the FIA and a visit by a Scotland Yard team to. But the government could not prove any direct or indirect link between the police officers, TTP and Musharraf.

The statements of Sarfaraz, Saeed Qureshi, employees of PTCL, Noman Ashraf who obtained data from BB’s BlackBerry, Ghulam Abbas, owner of the house in which arrested accused Rafaqat stayed, DSP Ishtiaq Shah, FIA constable Kashif Bashir, sub-inspector Arshad Kalim, Warid telecom official Usman Maftoon and accused Rafaqat, Hasnain and Aitzaz Shah have been recorded.

PTCL Director Feroz Alam presented before the court record of the conversation which took place between TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and an alleged planner for one minute and 13 seconds.

During the trial, the court issued notices to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema, National Crisis Management Cell Director General Javed Iqbal Lodhi and Interior Secretary Kamal Shah and summoned them as witnesses.

The blast took place at 5:11pm and the bombing scene was washed away at 6:42pm. On December 22, 2010, the bail plea of former CPO Saud Aziz and former SP Rawal Division Khurram Shahzad was cancelled and they were arrested during the trial process in Adiala Jail.

ATC Judge Nisar Ahmad declared Musharraf a proclaimed offender on June 11, 2011 and ordered to confiscate his property.