October 22, 2007	Monday	Shawwal 9, 1428

KARACHI, Oct 21: Softening their stand on the registration of a separate FIR on behalf of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto against the culprits behind the attack on her welcome convoy, the Sindh police have sought approval from the Sindh government for it.

Since the party leadership had no new facts about the suspects or the incident to share with the authorities, it would be useless to register a separate FIR, said a senior official.

“We have sought permission from the provincial government on the issue and if it allows, there will be no problem in registering another FIR,” Capital City Police Officer Azhar Ali Farooqi told Dawn.

“The facts mentioned in the previous FIR are the same as forwarded by the PPP leaders and even the acts under which the case has been registered are in accordance with their views”, he said.

“But, if still they think that a separate case should be registered under the same sections on behalf of the aggrieved party, it will need the government consent,” said Mr Farooqi.

Senior PPP leaders led by Sindh president Qaim Ali Shah visited the Bahadurabad police station on Sunday with a written request from the party’s chairperson for the registration of an FIR.

The police accepted the letter but did not register a separate FIR saying a case had already been registered on behalf of the state.

“The dastardly attack was aimed at my physical elimination and elimination of the top leadership of the party and devoted selfless supporters in an attempt to derail the democratic process and stop the people of Pakistan voting for a leader of their choice,” said Ms Bhutto in her request for an FIR to the SHO Bahadurabad police station.

“This attracts offences under the Pakistan Penal Code, Anti Terrorism Act as well as all the Explosive Act resulting into the death of nearly 140 people and injuring more than 350 innocent Pakistanis. You may please register the case and investigate so that the accused and their conspirators may be brought to book and punished according to the law,” it said.

However, the station house officer, Abid Hussain Shah, argued that the case, which had already been registered, did not allow another FIR even on behalf of the aggrieved party. His arguments, however, failed to satisfy the party leadership.

Talking to newsmen outside the police station, Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that it was not sensible to register a case independently in the presence of the aggrieved party. “We have delivered both our message and expressed our concern to the police officials,” he said.

The Bahadurabad police had registered an FIR (183/2007) on Friday several hours after the suicide attack on the former prime minister’s motorcade.

The FIR was registered on behalf of the state under Sections 324 (Attempt to commit Qatl-i-Amd), 302 (Qatl-i-Amd), 427/34 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 3 (Punishment for causing explosion likely to endanger life or property) and 4 (Punishment for attempt to cause explosion or for making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property) of the Explosive Substances Act 1908 against unknown persons.

Although the PPP leaders did not name anyone in the FIR they had attempted to lodge, the police said they could accept the decision made by the provincial government for the registration of a separate case on the already available facts.

It would be pertinent to mention here that Ms Bhutto in her written request had also referred to her Oct 16 letter to President Musharraf after receiving warning from the government urging her to delay her return on security grounds.

“After receiving this information I wrote a letter dated Oct 16, 2007 to the president of Pakistan, informing him of my grave concern regarding my security and specified the forces and persons behind them whom I suspected were likely to harm me physically,” it said.

Answering a question, CCPO Azhar Ali Farooqi said Ms Bhutto in her written request had referred to her Oct 16 letter to President Pervez Musharraf suspecting three persons behind any likely attempt on her life, such correspondence would be taken into account during further investigations.

“But the names have not been disclosed yet so its significance lies in the investigations not in the registration of an FIR,” he added.

Investigation progresses

Brushing aside the notion that the probe into the twin blasts had come to a standstill, the city police chief claimed that the police had got some significant lead during the investigation into the blasts. However, no arrests had so far been made in this connection.

“We have got some clues, which would further accelerate the process but it is not the appropriate stage to share the information,” he added.