RAWALPINDI, June 15: The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench on Wednesday reserved judgment on a petition seeking registration of a another FIR in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case.

The bench consisting of Justices Ijaz Ahmed, Sagheer Ahmed Qadri and Chaudhry Mohammad Tariq heard the petition filed by Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam, the then protocol officer of Ms Bhutto.

The petitioner requested the court to order the police to lodge a fresh FIR against those who, he alleged, were responsible for the murder of Ms Bhutto and those who had prepared the conspiracy to assassinate the PPP leader. He also submitted a list of 12 persons, including former President Pervez Musharraf, former caretaker Federal Minster Hamid Nawaz, former Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah, Brig (retired) Javed Iqbal Cheema, former Rawalpindi DCO Irfan Ellahi, former CPO Saud Aziz, SP Khuram Shahzad, Federal Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Minister Pervaiz Elahi and former Federal Minister Babar Awan.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s lawyer Khalid Ranjha argued that the FIR for one incident cannot be filed twice. He also questioned the reasons for approaching the court to register a fresh FIR of the case after such a long time.

Petitioner’s counsel Asad Rajput said two FIRs were registered in the case - one by the state and the other by the widows of Murtaza Bhutto and Ashiq Jatoi who had been assassinated in Karachi.

Upon this, Mr Ranjha maintained that the FIR was filed by the close relatives of the victim while the petitioner was not a relative of her.

He said the petitioner was supporter and worker of the former prime minister. Mr Ranjha also said party supporters and workers were not allowed under the law to take any action without consulting the legal heirs of the deceased. The court decision is expected to be announced soon.

Musharraf attack case

An anti-terrorism court here on Wednesday accepted the bail plea of an accused in the former President Gen Pervez Musharraf suicide attack case.

ATC-I Judge Mohammad Akram Awan granted bail to Jamshaid Raza on submission of surety bonds worth Rs500,000.

Jamshaid was arrested by the Civil Lines police in 2009 for his alleged involvement in the suicide attacks on the former president near Jhanda Chichi in 2003. As many as 15 people were killed and several injured in the incident. Another accused, Rana Faqir Hussain, arrested in 2005 on the charge of driving the third explosives-laden vehicle that could not hit the convoy of the former president, is still under trial.

Eight other men have already been sentenced by a military court in the case.