RAWALPINDI, Aug 22 An anti-terrorism court deferred on Saturday for 14 days the hearing of a trial against five people accused of assassinating former premier Benazir Bhutto.

Judge Malik Akram Awan, who has been conducting the trial of accused Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Andul Rasheed, Hasnain Gul and Rafaqat, however, did not accept a government request through Deputy Attorney General Shah Khawar for adjourning the proceedings for an indefinite period. The court asked the government to submit a fresh application for adjournment on Sept 5.

The government sought the deferment because a high-powered team, headed by the director of FIA's Special Investigation Group (SIG), would be reinvestigating the assassination of Ms Bhutto and 30 other people.

Special public prosecutor Sardar Ishaq said that any delay in the trial would give benefit to the accused. Defence counsel Naseer Tanoli, however, did not oppose the application as he himself had sought a halt to the proceedings.

It may be mentioned that a joint investigation team of police and FIA led by the additional inspector general of police had accused the five men of abetting the gun-and-bomb attack on Ms Bhutto on the order of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud who had been declared as proclaimed offender by the court.