ISLAMABAD: With the testimony of US lobbyist Mark Siegel, the prosecution in Benazir murder case completed the production of evidence and witnesses against former president Pervez Musharraf.

However, the prosecution is likely to introduce former minister Senator Rehman Malik as an additional witness before the court.

Advocate Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed, the special prosecutor in the high-profile murder case, told Dawn that Mr Malik may be brought before the court as an additional witness to establish Gen Musharraf’s link in the assassination of Ms Bhutto.

He said in his statement recorded before the investigation officer, Senator Malik had testified that Gen Musharraf threatened Ms Bhutto at a meeting held in Dubai prior to her departure for Pakistan in 2007.

With Mark Siegel’s statement, prosecution completes production of evidence and witnesses in Benazir murder case

Sources in the prosecution said Mr Malik had claimed that he witnessed Musharraf threatening Ms Bhutto at the Dubai meeting that her future depended on her relationship with him (Musharraf).

In his statement recorded with the FIA in April 2013, Mr Malik also claimed to have written multiple letters to Gen Musharraf requesting him to provide appropriate security to Ms Bhutto.

Sources in the prosecution claimed that the testimony of Mr Malik would strengthen the prosecution case against Gen Musharraf.

It may be mentioned that in 2010 the prosecution named four witnesses against Gen Musharraf.

They were: former secretary interior Syed Kamal Shah, former director general National Crisis Management Cell retired brigadier Javed Iqbal, former director general Intelligence Bureau retired brigadier Ejaz Shah and US lobbyist Mark Siegel. Kamal Shah, Iqbal and Siegel recorded their statements with the anti-terrorism court (ATC). However, the prosecution did not bring Ejaz Shah into the witness box where his testimony could be used against Gen Musharraf.

On January 20, 2016, Mark Siegel concluded his statement with the court via a video link from the US. The ATC summoned Mr Siegel in 2012 but he could not appear before the court because of security concerns. In October last year, he consented to testify in the case via a video link.

During the cross examination, Barrister Farogh Nasim, the counsel for Gen Musharraf, produced evidence before the ATC to establish that Mr Siegel was a paid lobbyist of the PPP and his statement could not be termed as free, fair and transparent.

Barrister Nasim also shared with the ATC photocopies of Mr Siegel’s contract with the previous PPP government for the projection of Pakistan.

In the testimony of October 1, Mr Siegel alleged that despite imminent threats to her life, Gen Musharraf deliberately deprived Ms Bhutto of the security detail she deserved being a former prime minister.

The case against Musharraf was built on the four witnesses. Except Mr Siegel, the rest of the witnesses held key posts under Gen Musharraf. Two of them have already retracted their statements implicating their former boss while the prosecution decided not to call Ejaz Shah into the witness box, saying his testimony was not needed.

Kamal Shah and Cheema recorded their statements with the ATC in January last year. According to a defence counsel, they did not utter any word against Gen Musharraf.

The joint investigation team, which probed the case, in its report claimed that Mr Siegel alleged in his statement that Ms Bhutto had sent him an email on October 26, 2007, expressing her sense of insecurity.

She also wrote that if something happened to her, she would hold Musharraf responsible along with the individuals mentioned in her letter to Musharraf on October 16, 2007. In that letter, she had mentioned Ejaz Shah, retired Lt Gen Hameed Gul and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2016