Thursday, October 4, 2018

SC hears petition seeking suspension of police officers' bail in Benazir murder case

former prime minister Benazir Bhutto
The Supreme Court on Friday resumed hearing a petition seeking the suspension of bails granted to two police officers accused in the murder case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa is hearing the petitions. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, Farhatullah Babar, Mehreen Anwar Raja and other party leaders are present for the hearing.

On August 31, 2017, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi announced the verdict in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and acquitted five suspects and announced 17-year imprisonment for two police officials.

As the hearing began, the petitioner's counsel, Latif Khosa, informed the court that his client, Rashida Bibi, has passed away.

To this, the counsel of the police officers said that the petition is ineffective following the death of the petitioner. Justice Khosa then asked whether the petitioner's family members had filed a petition and upon being told that Bibi's daughter had in the last hearing become party to the petition, he rejected the police officers' lawyer's request to declare the petition ineffectual.

Justice Khosa then asked Bibi's lawyer to continue with his arguments.

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson and two-time former prime minister, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack at an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007.

An FIR over the incident was registered on behalf of the state following which the murder trial of five suspects began in February of 2008. However, once PPP won the 2008 elections, the investigation was handed over to the FIA.

During its August 2017 verdict, the ATC had also declared former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the case. The ATC had named Musharraf in the case in February 2011.

The suspects — Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Abdul Rasheed, Rafaqat Hussain and Hasnain Gul — were acquitted.

 



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