February 29, 2008	Friday	Safar 21, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 28: The Karsaz inquiry tribunal issued a summons for the fifth time on Thursday against Pakistan People’s Party leader and MPA-elect Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, who was the security chief of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, for March 6.

On Feb 4, the tribunal issued a non-bailable warrant for Dr Mirza’s arrest after he had refused to appear before the tribunal for recording his evidence on the ground that Ms Bhutto did not recognise the tribunal as free and fair during her life. Later, on Feb 9 the tribunal recalled the warrant in compliance with an order of the Sindh High Court and fixed Feb 28 for Dr Mirza’s testimony.

When the hearing began at the anti-terrorism courts complex, special prosecutor Arshad Lodhi informed the tribunal chief, retired Justice Dr Ghous Mohammad, that the summons could not be served on Dr Mirza as he had been in Islamabad and not in his hometown Badin since the Feb 18 general election.

“Today, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza was supposed to be examined but as per the report of the process server he has gone to Islamabad and is not available at the Badin address. The liaison officer for the tribunal, SSP Niaz Khoso, told the tribunal that Dr Mirza would appear on the next date for recording his evidence. Accordingly, let the process be repeated for March 6. The process server be given the process for service of Dr Mirza at his residential addresses in Badin and Islamabad,” the tribunal ordered.

Dr Mirza was responsible for the overall security of Ms Bhutto upon her homecoming on Oct 18. He is currently working as security chief for PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Scotland Yard report

The tribunal sought a copy of the Scotland Yard report into the assassination of Ms Bhutto. It directed liaison officer SSP Khoso to “arrange a copy of the report submitted by the Scotland Yard to the federal government. If it is still not confidential, it should be handed over in sealed cover to the tribunal for perusal in chamber, and it will not be made a part of the record”.The tribunal also read out excerpts, related to the Oct 18 Karsaz blasts, from Ms Bhutto’s posthumously published book Reconciliation: Islam, democracy, and the west, in which she had mentioned that Agha Siraj Durrani and policemen in a mobile had stopped her from taking a child from an unknown man in her homecoming procession on Oct 18. The tribunal pointed out that it was essential to record the evidence of Mr Durrani and the policeman concerned.

Later, the proceeding was adjourned to March 1 for recording statements of PPP leader Qaim Ali Shah and float driver Abdul Ghani Baloch.

More than 140 people were killed and some 500 wounded in midnight blasts on Ms Bhutto’s homecoming procession near Karsaz on Oct 18.

On Oct 31, the Sindh government appointed a tribunal to investigate and ascertain the circumstances and causes leading to the twin blasts at the PPP rally. The tribunal’s other terms of reference include: to examine the security arrangements made by the administration and organisers; to find out negligence and lapse on part of law-enforcing agencies as well as organisers of the rally; to fix the responsibility against the persons/groups’ involvement in the incident and to suggest effective measures to be taken with a view to avoid recurrence of such incident in future.