LAHORE: A provincial review board comprising judges of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday extended detention of five persons acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The Punjab government had detained the men soon after their release by Rawalpindi’s trial court in the murder case of the former prime minster. Rafaqat Hussain, Sher Zaman, Hasnain Gull, Abdul Rasheed and Aitzaz Shah allegedly belonged to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The government authorities produced them before the review board on Tuesday under strict security arrangements and sought 90-day extension in their detention period. They also presented documentary evidence in support of the detention sought of the acquitted suspects.

The board headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan accepted the government’s request and extended detention of the alleged TTP men for another 90 days. Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Aalia Neelum are other members of the review board.

Besides acquitting these five men of the charges, the trial court had declared former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the case and awarded 17-year imprisonment each to two senior police officers -- Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad -- for showing negligence in security arrangements that allegedly led to the assassination of Ms Bhutto on Dec 27, 2007 outside Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi.

However, a bench of the LHC later suspended their sentence.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2017