RAWALPINDI, July 14: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Monday put off hearing in Benazir Bhutto murder case till August 5 after police failed to submit a separate charge-sheet and challan against one of the accused earlier declared a juvenile under the juvenile justice system.

ATC-I Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman, who is conducting the trial, deferred the hearing after the public prosecutor said some amendments were still needed in the challan against Aitzaz Shah before submitting it to the court. In the absence of the special public prosecutor hired by the government in the case, the hearing saw no progress.

The prosecution also failed to formally indict four other accused — Sher Zaman, Abdul Rasheed, Hasnain Gul and Mohammad Rafaqat. The accused have alleged to have played their role in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27 last year.

These men have confessed before a judicial magistrate that they knew the perpetrators and planners of the attack. The case has been registered with the city police station under charges of murder, attempted murder, terrorism, possessing and using banned explosive material, causing mischief by fire and explosives to damage property and criminal conspiracy.

In two other suicide attacks, one in R.A. Bazaar and the other in Civil Lines police area, the police said they could not find the addresses of five accused — Baitullah Mehsud, Ikramullah, Abadur Rehman, Abdullah alias Saddam and Faiz Mohammad alias Kaskat — to paste the wanted posters near their houses after they were declared proclaimed offenders in the cases.

In these cases the accused Rafaqat and Hasnain had confessed to providing lodging and facilitating the two suicide bombers, Usman and Shahid, to attack first on September 4 and the other on October 30 last year. The judge put off hearing in these cases till August 5.

Meanwhile, Attock police submitted charge-sheet against five men Tehseenullah, Said Arab, Abdul Rasheed Tarabi, Gul Roz and Mohammad Shafique alias Mahaz, allegedly involved in the case of rocket attack on Aeronautical Complex in Kamra on January 17, 2008.

The investigators claimed in the charge-sheet that during the investigations they learnt that Abdul Rasheed arrested in connection with Benazir Bhutto murder case had confessed in his statement before a judicial magistrate that he was involved in carrying out rocket attacks in Kamra.

The police included him in the investigations in Adiala jail and arrested four other accused on the information provided by Abdul Rasheed. Police have declared four more accused Aziz Janan alias Khalid, Faiz Mohammad alias Kaskat, Abdullah alias Saddam and Saeed alias Bilal as absconders.