ISLAMABAD: The decade-old mystery of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder remains unsolved, but on Thursday two senior police officers were sentenced to 17 years in prison for negligence and security lapses that led to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader’s assassination.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi convicted additional inspector general Saud Aziz and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Khurram Shehzad, and fined them Rs1 million each. But five suspects allegedly linked with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were acquitted for lack of evidence.

ATC Judge Asghar Ali Khan announced the judgement during in-camera proceedings at Adiala jail, declaring former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf a proclaimed offender in the case and ordering the attachment of his movable and immovable properties.

A day earlier, the judge had allowed mediapersons to witness proceedings at Adiala jail. But on Thursday, police personnel deployed at the outer gate of the prison prevented journalists from entering the premises due to a lack of coordination between court staff and jail authorities. The latter were not formally informed that proceedings had been declared open to the media.

ATC declares Musharraf ‘proclaimed offender’

The court convicted Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad under Section 119 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for criminal negligence, and Section 201 for “causing disappearance of evidence of offence”.

The convicts may have to serve an additional year in prison if they do not pay the million-rupee fine.

The court, however, acquitted five suspects: Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Rashid Ahmed and Aitzaz Shah, for want of evidence.

According to a security official, the names of Rafaqat Hussain and Husnain Gul were on a list of prisoners the Taliban wanted freed ahead of their dialogue with the US in Qatar a few years ago.

Under the PPP-led government, Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry was appointed chief prosecutor in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, while then interior minister Rehman Malik was personally supervising the matter.

In the wake of the decision, Mr Chaudhry told Dawn that the prosecution would file an appeal against the acquittal of the five suspects after the Eid holidays.

The five terrorists that were acquitted were charged with hatching a conspiracy and facilitating the terrorist attack on the PPP leader.

Additional IG Saud Aziz was accused of removing SP Ashfaq Anwar from Liaquat Bagh, leaving Ms Bhutto at the mercy of the attackers. He was also accused of not ordering an autopsy of her body.

It is ironic that Aziz was convicted only a day after the Establishment Division notified his promotion to grade 21.

SSP Khurram Shehzad was charged with washing the crime scene and destroying potential evidence that may have led investigators to the terrorists.

According to the prosecution, the TTP had planned a series of attacks on Ms Bhutto, and had also planned another attack on her if she survived the Liaquat Bagh bombing on Dec 27, 2007.

The prosecutor said that former TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud had paid Rs400,000 to his lieutenant Qari Ismail, who subsequently dispatched a group of suicide bombers and assassins to Rawalpindi to eliminate Ms Bhutto.

The plan called for Saeed alias Bilal to carry out a suicide attack. In case he failed to eliminate his target, Ikramullah was supposed to detonate himself too.

Both Saeed and Ikramullah were provided logistic support by Hasnain Gul, who gave the men an explosives-laden suicide jacket, a pistol and an optical device.

Reading from the confession of Aitzaz, the prosecutor said he was asked to attack the PPP leader in case Saeed failed.

He claimed the TTP had targeted the PPP leader, bombing her homecoming caravan near Karsaz on Karachi’s Sharae Faisal soon after her return from exile on Oct 18, 2007.

Though she survived the attack, it claimed the lives of 149 people and injured 402 others.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2017