RAWALPINDI, April 7 The Lahore High Court has adjourned till May 3 hearing of a petition seeking registration of a second FIR in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case after defence lawyers sought a delay till the report of the UN commission is made public.

Justice Asad Munir of the LHC's Rawalpindi bench adjourned on Wednesday hearing of the petition of Advocate Chaudhry Mehmood Aslam after Mr Khalid Ranjah, representing former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Ilahi, said the UN commission was likely to submit its report by April 30.

Justice Munir observed that he would like to go through another petition filed by Advocate Aslam against re-investigation of the case by Federal Investigation Agency and would be in a better position then to decide the matter.

It may be recalled that the court has already decided to proceed against former President Pervez Musharraf ex-parte because he did not respond to court notices on a petition seeking registration of a criminal case against him, former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Ilahi, Interior Minister Rehman A. Malik, Law Minister Babar Awan, former interior mister Hamid Nawaz and other officials for planning to kill Benazir Bhutto.

Lawyers of other respondents were present in the court. In a written reply, the Rawalpindi police had maintained that a second FIR in the Benazir assassination case could only be registered on a complaint lodged by blood relatives.

Police claim that the petitioner, who calls himself an injured witness to the Decr 27, 2007 Liaquat Bagh tragedy, did not join the investigation.

The petitioner, claiming to be a protocol officer of the slain PPP leader, said through his lawyer Asad Rajpoot that Ms Benazir Bhutto herself had pointed towards certain people who were trying to kill her.

The petitioner said that Mr Rehman A. Malik and Babar Awan were at the public meeting, but left Liaquat Bagh in a car meant to be used by Ms Bhutto in case of an emergency and police officers had changed the planned route for the return of the PPP leader that resulted in her assassination.