The verdict for the murder case of Benazir Bhutto is expected to be announced on Thursday after the lawyers of six out of seven accused in the case completed their arguments before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
According to a private news channel, suspects Hussain Gul and Rafaqat’s legal counsel Jawad Khalid told an ATC that the statements received from his clients hold Pervez Musharraf, as well as some others, responsible for the crime, claiming there was no solid proof against his clients.
He added that there was a conflict between investigating officers’ statements and the weapons recovered from the crime scene. “This raises suspicion,” he remarked, adding that the court should show mercy towards the innocent, as “the real culprits are not being punished for the crime.”
Meanwhile, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Khawaja Asif accepted that there is no record of the suspects in the DNA report.
Khalid maintained the truth is that the former prime minister was targeted for deviating from the US policy, adding that there were no explosives in the suicide jacket that the suspects had submitted for DNA testing. Moreover, the suspect’s DNA report has not been submitted to the court.
The lawyer of other two suspects—former DIG Saud Aziz and former SSP Khurram Shahzad—said that nobody can stop a suicide attacker but it can be investigated who facilitated the attacker. Counsel for the accused argued that Bhutto had been informed regarding the threat to her life by two members of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) a day prior to the rally in Rawalpindi.
The lawyer pointed out that the statements of those injured in the attack haven’t been recorded, and even the post-mortem of the bodies was not done
The court was informed that from the three seized SIMS, two were unregistered, whereas the third SIM remained uninvestigated.
The court adjourned the hearing, ordering the lawyers of the suspects to complete their arguments by 12pm Wednesday.
Benazir Bhutto—who was the first female head of state of the country—was assassinated on December 27, 2007, during a public gathering at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.
Later, in February 2008, a trial of five suspects began after they were caught by the police. It is crucial to note, however, that once PPP won the 2008 elections, the investigation was handed over to the FIA.
Pervez Musharraf is also a suspect in the case, who has remained absconding since the beginning. A separate case was filed against his continuous absence, the trial for which is yet to happen.
[…] Source: Google News […]
Comments are closed.