09 May 2004	Sunday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 8: District and Sessions Judge East Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani on Saturday adjourned the hearing of Mir Murtuza Bhutto murder case against ex-Senator Asif Ali Zardari and others after deposition by two prosecution witnesses.

"The statements of DSP Crime Agha Mir Alvi and former SSP South AD Khawaja, who conducted the initial investigation of the case, were recorded on Saturday," said special prosecutor Ilyas Khan after the jail trial which is being held in central jail Karachi. The newsmen were not permitted to attend the proceedings by the jail authorities.

He said DSP Alvi, in his deposition, stated that he (Alvi) arrested ex-chief of IB Masood Sharif from DC office in Islamabad following directives from the high-ups. Alvi said that he also arrested Shahid Hayat, the then SP of Saddar and Rai Mohammed Tahir, the then ASP of Darakhshan Karachi in respect of the said case.

Asif Zardari was on Saturday produced before the court amid tight security.

The next hearing of case has been fixed for June 26 for deposition of further prosecution witnesses.

Murtaza Bhutto, brother of Benazir Bhutto was killed, along with seven others, including his close aide, Ashiq Jatoi, in September 1996 near his residence in Clifton, Karachi, in an alleged shootout.

BAIL granted: Additional District and Sessions Judge East Noman Memon on Saturday granted bail to an activist of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, in an explosives case and ordered him to furnish a surety in the sum of Rs5,00,000.

He was arrested by the police in December 2002 in Tipu Sultan area, with Sohail Noor and Asif Zaheer, a convict who masterminded Sheraton hotel bomb blast in which 12 French technicians and three Pakistanis were killed and several others injured in May 2002.

The police had recovered 10kgs of explosives and other material used for making explosive devices from their house.

It was argued by the applicant's counsel, Amir Mansoob Qureshi, that his client was falsely implicated in the said case.

The court, granting the plea, ordered that the applicant be released on bail subject to furnishing surety in the sum of Rs5,00,000. -PPI