ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal seeking to cancel the bail granted to two accused police officers — Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad — in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench — headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa — had taken up the petition moved by Rashida Bibi, widow of Benazir Bhutto’s security guard Akram Kaira who was also killed in the Dec 27, 2007 bomb attack at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.

The petition was filed by senior counsel Sardar Latif Khosa.

The court dismissed the petition observing that no reason was found to interfere with the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench’s 2017 order to grant the bail.

Saud Aziz — now retired — was Rawalpindi Deputy Inspector General when former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, whereas Khurram Shahzad was the former Superintendent Police (SP) at Rawal Town.

Both officers were sentenced to life imprisonment for negligence in arranging security which subsequently led to the assassination of the former prime minister. However, later the Rawalpindi bench granted bail to the two accused and suspended the sentence.

During the proceedings, Sardar Khosa argued that granting of bail was not in accordance with the law.

The petitioner had requested the apex court to suspend the LHC’s decision, and cancel the bail granted to the accused.

Justice Khosa also wondered during the hearing who had ordered that the site where the former prime minister was killed be washed. Khurram Shahzad’s counsel, however, said that the case record did not answer this question.

Later, talking to reporters Sardar Khosa said that he had evidence that Khurram Shahzad was reinstated after getting promotion. The counsel said the apex court had rejected the case on grounds that the lower courts decided appeals.

Soon after the rejection of the appeal, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — who attended the Supreme Court proceedings — hinted at becoming a party to the case. Being the grandson of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said his family had a long association with the Supreme Court, an institution from which they had been asking for justice for three generations.

Talking to reporters at the residence of former state minister Tasneem Qureshi in Sargodha, he said: “I thought I should come myself to witness how justice is dispensed with,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari, adding that he was confident that in his lifetime he would get justice in both Bhutto cases.

He regretted that the trial court did not declare former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a convict and acquitted the facilitators and abettors of the attack. “When it had been proved that Pervez Musharaf was directly involved in the murder of Benazir Bhutto, why he was set free and why the crime scene was washed?” he asked.

The security cordon to his late mother was withdrawn by the police to make her an easy target, said the PPP chairman, adding that the present regime had no agenda except to fool the public with their tricks and jugglery.

Criticising the PTI’s foreign policy, the PPP chairman said that the irresponsible attitude of the government would be damaging for the country. He said Pakistan had an important role to play in the region and if such irresponsible behaviour continued it would isolate the country.

He said the PPP would support the present regime if it went for the welfare of public but if it increased the prices of utilities it would resist all such efforts.

Answering a question, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that the PPP would support the southern Punjab province move. He categorically denied that the PPP was creating any hindrance in setting up the grand opposition alliance; however, he said that the party would not be part of efforts that derail the democratic set-up.

Sajjad Abbas Niazi in Sargodha also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2018