April 15, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1429

RAWALPINDI, April 14: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Monday directed the Punjab advocate general (AG) to intimate an anti terrorism court (ATC) about the trail and subsequent acquittal of a woman accused of involvement in the suicide attacks on President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003, and adjourned the hearing in the case till April 30.

The division bench comprising Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah and Justice Zubdatul Hussain directed AG Hasnain Kazmi to convey the orders of a Field General Court Marshal that tried and absolved Shazia Mubashir of her alleged involvement in the twin suicide attacks on the presidential convoy at Jhanda Chichi on December 25, 2003, that killed 15 people, mostly security personnel and passers-by.

The court orders came when Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah asked the AG as to why a delay had been made in framing charges against the woman by the investigators.

In response to the query, Mohammad Akram, the lawyer of Shazia, said he had moved an application in the anti terrorism court that his client had already been tried and no retrial on the same charges and same facts was possible under the law.

When the defence lawyer tried to ascertain that whether or not Shazia could be retried, the court observed that it would be decided in the trail court according to the law.

The court was hearing a petition of the Punjab government seeking cancellation of Shazia’s bail, which was granted to her by ATC No. 1 last year.

In the last hearing on March 18, the LHC told the defence that the judges had gone through the verdict of the army court and had established that the woman was acquitted by the same court.

Shazia, whose husband was reportedly condemned to death for her involvement in the 2003 attacks on the president by the army court, remained in Adiala jail with her minor son for more than two years with no legal headway in her case in the ATC.

She was taken into custody by the Civil Lines police in August 2005 on the charges of sedition, murder, attempted murder, terrorism, and use of explosive materials.