Benazir Bhutto murder case verdict expected on Thursday

RAWALPINDI: The verdict for the murder case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is expected to be announced on Thursday, Geo News reported on Tuesday.

Suspects Hussain Gul and Rafaqat’s legal counsel Jawad Khalid told an anti-terrorism court that the statements received from his clients hold Pervez Musharraf among others responsible for the crime.

He also claimed that there is no solid proof against his clients. There is a conflict between investigating officers’ statements and the weapons recovered from the scene of the crime. 

“This raises suspicion,” he remarked, adding that the court should show mercy towards the innocent.

“The real culprits are not being punished for the crime,” added the legal counsel.

FIA prosecutor Khawaja Asif accepted that there is no record of the suspects in the DNA report.

The truth is that Benazir was targeted for deviating from US policy, said Khalid, 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.

On the other hand, the lawyer of the 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.

The statements of those injured in the attack have yet to be recorded and the post mortem of the bodies was not done, the lawyer pointed out.

From the three SIMs which were seized, two were not registered in any citizen’s name. While the third SIM was not investigated, the court was informed.

The court adjourned the hearing and ordered the suspects’ lawyers to complete their arguments by Wednesday.

On December 27, 2007, Benazir was assassinated during a public gathering at Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh.

In February 2008, a trial of five suspects began after they were apprehended by the police. However, once PPP won the 2008 elections, the investigation was handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency.

Former president 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.