31 August 2004	Tuesday	14 Rajab 1425

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KARACHI, Aug 30: Justice Azizullah M. Memon of the Sindh High Court reserved his orders on quashment petitions moved by three accused in the murder of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, son of the late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and seven others on Sept 20, 1996.

Former federal minister Asif Ali Zardari, brother-in-law of Mir Murtaza; Dr Shoaib Suddle, the former Karachi DIG now posted as inspector-general of the Balochistan Police, and Wajid Ali Durrani, the SSP since promoted as ADIG, requested the high court to quash the proceedings for insufficiency of evidence, which was unlikely to result in conviction. They also cited inordinate delay in investigations and trial of the case.

Justice Memon reserved his orders on the three petitions after hearing Advocates Azizullah K. Shaikh and A. Q. Halepota for the petitioners and Advocate Sarfaraz Tanoli for the widow of Ashiq Hussain Jatoi, the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto senior vice-president who was also killed in the firing near the Clifton residence of Mir Murtaza.

BAIL REJECTED: Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro of High Court of Sindh on Monday rejected bail application of six accused Abdul Ghani, Khalil Ahmed, Abdul Raoof, Adil Ahmed, Irfan Irshad and Mohammad Ashaab Khan, adds APP.

The accused belong to the banned outfit Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Almi and were booked by the Baloch Colony Police in a case registered under Section 13-E of the Arms Ordinance.

Police allegedly recovered four hand-grenades, fuses, timers, five T.T pistols and another pistol from the accused. M. Ilyas Khan appeared for the applicants while Habib-ur-Rasheed represented the state.