March 11, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

KARACHI, March 10: The Karsaz inquiry tribunal re-issued on Monday a summons against Pakistan People’s Party’s designated chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah asking him to appear before the tribunal for his testimony on March 24.

The tribunal headed by retired justice Dr Ghous Mohammad also reissued a bailable warrant against a PPP worker, Abdul Ghani Baloch, who was driving the float carrying former prime minister Benazir Bhutto upon her homecoming on October 18, 2007, and directed the police to produce him before the tribunal on the next hearing.

On March 1, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against the float driver and summoned Mr Shah for today. However, the tribunal was informed on Monday that the summon could not be served on Mr Shah while Ghani Baloch was not present at his residential address and his whereabouts could not be known.

Retired Justice Dr Ghous ordered registrar Zahoor Ahmed Hakro to repeat the process for March 24.

The tribunal later adjourned its proceeding till Tuesday for recording the statement of Naheed Khan.

Over 140 persons were killed and nearly 500 wounded in twin blasts on Ms Bhutto’s homecoming procession on Oct 18. After a lapse of about two weeks, the provincial government had constituted a tribunal to probe and ascertain the circumstances and causes leading to the twin blasts at the PPP rally.

The tribunal was assigned 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 involved in the incident and to suggest effective measures to be taken with a view to avoid recurrence of such incident in future.