January 15, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 05, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 14: An inquiry tribunal investigating the midnight blasts at former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming procession on Oct 18 adjourned on Monday its proceeding till Jan 22.

The tribunal, headed by Justice (retd) Dr Ghaus Mohammad, will examine a three-member team of Bomb Disposal Squad on the next date of hearing.

According to special prosecutor Arshad Lodhi, DSP Fateh Mohammad, whose testimony was due for Monday, could not appear before the tribunal as he was engaged in a VVIP duty. Another witness, DSP Shaukat Khatyan, was on leave for performing Haj. The two witnesses would now appear before the tribunal on January 22, he added.

He said the tribunal would examine Edhi volunteers, who had shifted dead and injured persons to hospitals on Jan 24 while the heads of the emergency departments of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital and the Aga Khan University Hospital would depose before the tribunal on Jan 26.

Mr Lodhi said three PPP leaders Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Agha Siraj Durrani and Maj-Gen (retd) Ahsan Ahmed would also testify before the tribunal on Jan 28.

More than 140 people were killed and hundreds other wounded in the suicide blasts that occurred at Karsaz. Ms Bhutto had escaped unhurt in the twin blasts, but on Dec 27 she was assassinated in Rawalpindi.

The Sindh government appointed a tribunal on Oct 31 with the terms of reference including: to investigate and ascertain the circumstances and causes that lead to the twin blasts at the PPP rally near Karsaz; to examine the security arrangements made by the administration and the organisers; to find out negligence and lapse on part of the law enforcement agencies as well as the organisers of the rally; to fix the responsibility for the persons/groups’ involvement in the incident and to suggest effective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.