LHC Issues Non-bailable Arrest Warrant Of Tehreek-i-Taliban Suspects In BB Murder Case

A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants of the two accused for not appearing before the court in Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto murder case

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2020 ) :A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants of the two accused for not appearing before the court in Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The bench, comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram heard the case.

While hearing the appeals of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the court expressed annoyance over the absence of two accused Sher Zaman and Aitzaz shah who were acquitted by an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on August 31,2017 from the charges of involvement in the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The court also ordered the Regional Police Officer and City Police officer to give detailed report of the other three accused Rafaqat Hussain,Hussnain Gul and Abdulrasheed while presence of Sher Zaman and Aitzaz Shah must be ensured on next hearing .

Sher Zaman and Aitzaz Shah had been acquitted by the ATC on surety bonds while the three others Rafaqat Hussain, Hussnain Gul and Abdulrasheed failed to provide surety bonds and were under Judicial custody.

The petitioner's counsel former Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khosa asked the court to bring back the former President General Pervez Mushraff in the country who was declared absconder by the ATC in the BB murder case and award him death sentence.

Earlier,the PPP counsel had filed three appeals in the LHC against the verdict of an anti-terrorist court, which was announced on August 31.

In the first appeal the PPP counsel had asked the court to announce a punishment for retired Gen Pervez Musharraf in accordance with the criminal code.

In second appeal, the court had been requested to change the sentence given to the police officers involved in the case to death penalty as according to law, the punishment for murder was the death sentence.

The third appeal asked the court to award death sentence to the five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan suspects who had been acquitted by the ATC.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case till October 19.

The two time former prime minister and PPP leader Mohtramma Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack on December 27, 2007 after addressing a public meeting at Liaqat Bagh.