KARACHI, July 12: The judicial magistrate, South, Syed Perveen Shah, put off on Saturday the hearing of a suicide attempt case against Asif Zardari, interned husband of the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The judge fixed July 19 for the next hearing and ordered defence counsel Shahadat Awan to place on record a certified copy of the report of the judicial inquiry conducted by a sessions judge to ascertain whether the injuries were self-suffered or inflicted.

At the outset of the hearing at around 2pm inside the Central Prison, the defence counsel submitted that he wanted to argue the application filed for the acquittal of his client under section 249-A of the Cr.PC.

Mr Awan stated that Mr Zardari was booked on May 19, 1999 in the case while he was in the police custody for interrogation in the justice Nizam murder case.

He said that the police had submitted a charge-sheet in the case in July 1999 and cited 13 prosecution witnesses. However, he said, only one of the 13 PWs could have been examined partially so far.

The defence counsel submitted before the court that his client was remanded in the police custody on May 10, 1999 in the justice Nizam murder case. He said that Asif Zardari was tortured and had received injuries in his tongue during police custody.

He pointed out that the accused was booked in two cases of attempt to commit suicide on May 17 and 19 respectively.

Mr Awan stated that the government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter by Judge Salman Ansari, who had categorically stated that the injuries had not been self-inflicted.

When asked by the magistrate, Mr Awan said that he had not placed on record the copy of the inquiry report. He said the copy of the same report was submitted with the acquittal application of Asif Zardari in the first case of suicide attempt, in which he had been acquitted.

The magistrate, however, told the defence counsel that this was a separate case and asked him to place on record the copy of the inquiry report on the next date of hearing so that the court could take up the acquittal application.

The defence counsel also requested the court to order the authorities to keep the custody of his client in Karachi so as to ensure his production before the court during the next hearing.