Almost after a decade, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday announced the verdict in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. The case, despite being an important one, remained pending for many reasons.
In a strange twist, accused were exonerated for lack of solid evidence, and two cops were indicted for “negligence”, still the case is far from over. Musharraf remains an absconder, and some dead people, like Baitullah Mehsud, were also declared absconder.
The verdict was announced by judge Muhammad Asghar Khan under strict security arrangements at Rawalpindi’s Adiyala Jail.
November 2007—Benazir comes home
November 13—Benazir put under house arrest
December 1—Benazir launches election campaign
December 27—Benazir assassinated outside Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi
December 28—JIT formed to probe the case; CNN journalist Mark Seigel holds Pervez Musharraf for murder
December 29—Pakistan asserts al-Qaeda’s involvement
January 2, 2008—Government asks Scotland Yard to probe the murder
February 9—PPP rejects Scotland Yard report
February 17— JIT presents findings
May 31—Pakistan asks UN for help in the probe
July 22—Benazir’s security chief gunned down in Karachi
August 18—Musharraf resigns as president
September 6—Zardari becomes new president
November2—ATC indicts murder suspects
June 19, 2009—Three-member UN commission formed
August 6—FIA ordered to re-investigate murder
April 16, 2010—UN says murder could have been prevented; Musharraf’s spokesman denies report
May 26—FIA holds Baitullah Mehsud responsible
October 23—CPO Saud Aziz removed me forcibly from the duty, said SP who was assigned BB’s escort duty
December 5—ATC issues warrants for CPO Aziz, SP Rawal Town Khurram Shehzad
December 23—Police officers arrested
August 11, 2011—Prosecutor files application for day-to-day trial
November 5—ATC indicts seven in the case
May 26, 2012—Bilawal blames Musharraf for the crime
May 3, 2013—FIA prosecutor shot dead in Islamabad
August 20—ATC indicts Musharraf
January 30, 2015—Another witness turns hostile
February 27—Witness confirms suspects’ affiliation with Darul Uloom Haqqania
April 1—ATC judge transferred again
September 3—Witness says Naheed Khan encourages BB to wave at the crowd
October2—Former general dismisses Mark Siegel’s statement
November 24—ATC dismisses Musharraf’s objections
May 6—Musharraf’s calls to BB cannot be traced: JIT
May 12—JIT says suspects nominated by BB were never investigated
August 21—Court decides to conduct daily proceedings of the trial
August30—Court reserves decision in the case
August 31—ATC exonerates five suspects, sentences two coppers, terms Musharraf absconder