September 13, 2007	Thursday	Sha'aban 30, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Sept 12: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Wednesday granted bail to a woman who was arrested in January 2004 for her alleged involvement in suicide attacks on President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

She had been languishing in jail without any trial since August 2005.

ATC Judge Habibur Rehman accepted the bail application of Shazia Mubashir against the surety bond of Rs100,000 and ordered her release if not wanted in any other case. Her bail application was moved by Col (retired) Mohammad Akram advocate on September 8, pleading that she must be given bail as under law no woman could be imprisoned for more than six months without any trial.

According to details of her case, Shazia along with her brother, Hafiz Tahir, was arrested on January 3, 2004 from the house of her father in Bahawalpur in connection with the suicide attacks on the convoy of the president near Jhanda Chichi on December 25, 2003.

Some 15 people, mostly security officials and passers-by, were killed when two explosive-laden vehicles were rammed into the president’s convoy by two extremists. A case was registered with the Civil Lines police station on charges of sedition, murder, terrorism and use of explosive material.

Her lawyer had been claiming that she along with her husband and seven other men was tried by the court of field general marshal in Attock and was acquitted of all charges. She was handed over to the police on August 23, 2005 and the police arrested her again to try her on charges of terrorism.

The prosecution failed to complete the challan against her till December 6, 2006 and all this time Shazia, along with her minor son, remained in Adiala Central Jail without any legal proceeding.

Her acquittal petitions before the ATC and Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench remained unheard as the defence failed to produce the orders of the army court about her exoneration in writing.

The defence had been arguing that a person could not be tried again on the same facts for different charges under the law.

It was on September 4 that she, on the orders of the chief justice, was produced in the Supreme Court where her missing brother, Hafiz Tahir, was also presented by the authorities after their father Hafiz Mohammad Quraish invoked the apex court for their release.

The ATC judge observed on Wednesday that he would take up the acquittal application of Shazia unless he received the order of military court in written about her absolution and deferred the hearing till September 27.