ISLAMABAD: An accused in the Benazir Bhutto murder case on Monday sought court’s permission to contact his family on telephone.

Aitzaz Shah has been behind bars in Rawalpindi Central Jail since 2008.

Naseer Khan Tanoli, counsel for the accused, submitted the application before a judge in which he pleaded to the court that his client be allowed to contact his family via jail telephones. The counsel said using the phone was the detainee’s legal right and that other inmates at the same jail were allowed to talk over the phone for 20 minutes a month.

The judge has issued a notice to the jail administration, seeking their comments.

The Anti-terrorism Court also heard and recorded statements from a witness, Inspector Kashif Riaz, who was posted as station house officer (SHO) at the city police station in 2007 when Ms Bhutto was assassinated within the limits of the same police station.

Rawalpindi administration also submitted a report before the court that arrangements have been made to record statements from an important witness to the case, US lobbyist Mark Seigel. Mr Seigel’s account will be recorded via a video link from New York.

The court decided to record Mr Seigel’s statement on October 1 at 7:30pm through a video link facility from the commissioner’s office.

Also read: Mark Seigel’s testimony may be excluded from Benazir case

Published in Dawn September 29th, 2015

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