ISLAMABAD: A representative of Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, on Thursday admitted before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) here that the suicide bomber, who allegedly killed Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, and his abettor had remained students of the seminary.

He, however, denied before the ATC judge, Pervaiz Ismail Joya, that the seminary had any association with the suspects.

The FIA produced the official of the seminary as a prosecution witness during the jail trial of the Benazir murder case.

The witness admitted that the suspected suicide bomber, Abdullah alias Saddam Nadir alias Qari Ismail, and an under-trial accused Abdul Rasheed alias Turabi had received education at the seminary.

The prosecution said Rasheed knew about the conspiracy of the murder but did not disclose it to the quarters concerned.

Rao Abdul Rahim, the counsel for Rasheed, during the cross-examination of the witness claimed that the admission form could not establish the fact that his client had ever studied in the seminary.

He pointed out that the photograph of Rasheed was stapled at a corner of the form instead of its specified space.

The form was neither signed by any administration official nor by the accused person, he said.

Hence it cannot be used as evidence in the murder case, he added.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2015

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