The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday presented record of the mobile phones of former city police officer (CPO) Saud Aziz and ex-SP Khurram Shehzad before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. The hearing of the case was held in the court of ATC Judge Shahid Rafiq at Adiala Jail. FIA Forensic Expert Assistant Director Noman Ashraf Bodla produced record of the mobile phones of former CPO Saud Aziz to the court. The court adjourned hearing of the case till January 7.
Similarly, four prosecution witnesses, including FIA Assistant Director Noman Ashraf Bodla, Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL) Director Internet Feroz Alam, Warid Telecom’s Usman Maftoon and Special Magistrate Rawalpindi Chaudhry Taufeeq recorded their statements before the court. FIA Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar, in his statement, said that he had taken complete data of mobile phones of the former CPO and ex-SP, which were provided to the investigators at the time of their arrest.
PTCL Director Internet Feroz Alam, in his statement, told the court that on December 28, 2007, a telephonic conversation was held between one Molvie Ameer and Baitullah Mehsood from the house of accused Rafaqat. During the conversation which continued for one minute and 13 seconds Malvie Ameer and Baitullah congratulated Rafaqat that the job had been done.
Warid Telecom’s Usman Maftoon also confirmed that two out of three mobile numbers were registered in the name of the fathers of the two accused, Muhammad Rafaqat and Hassnain Gull. However, the third mobile number was registered in the name of one Riaz. He also told the court that the accused were in touch with their parents.
Chaudhry Taufeeq, who was special magistrate Rawalpindi, said in his statement that he had written in the confessional statements of Muhammad Rafaqat, Hassnain Gull and Aitzaz Shah that the accused brought Bilal Saeed alias Bilal a suicide bomber from Waziristan to Rawalpindi while Hassnain Gull accommodated Bilal at his residence.
Khurram Qureshi, counsel for accused Sher Zaman, raised objection when the prosecution presented Chaudhry Taufeeq, the magistrate, for recording his statement, saying that under the law the name of this witness was not mentioned in the list provided by the prosecution to the defence counsel, so the court should not record the statement of Chaudhry Taufeeq.
On this, the judge observed that the statement of the witness should be recorded, however, the defence lawyers could cross-examine him on the next date of hearing. Qureshi told the media outside Adiala Jail that despite the lapse of four years, the trial was still at initial stages, adding only 11 out of 130-150 witnesses appeared before the court to give their statements.
