ISLAMABAD An anti-terrorism court on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of former Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO), Saud Aziz, and former SP Rawal Town, Khurram Shahzad, for their failure to protect slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Special Judge ATC-III, Rawalpindi, Rana Nisar Ahmed Khan, while hearing the case issued arrest warrants of both the officers and ordered the authorities concerned to produce both of them before the court in the next hearing on December 11. Earlier, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headed by Khalid Qureshi in its 48-page challan, submitted before the court on November 14, had charged both the officials of committing official negligence in duty in the provision of security to the former prime minister and hosing down the crime scene. The JIT in its challan report had submitted that although it had found no concrete evidence against Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad for the circumstances and security lapses which led to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, yet after interviewing various people it reached the conclusion that there was some official negligence on part of these police officers. However, the JIT has left it on the discretion of the court to frame charges against them. On the other hand, the counsel for FIA through application had prayed to the court to summon both the officials in this regard. Earlier, the lawyer representing the two in the last hearing had requested the court to exempt his clients from appearing before the court. The court while hearing the application of Dr Azra Fazal regarding the legal custody of Benazir Bhuttos vehicle, which she was boarding at the time of her assassination, has sought relevant record from FIA on the next hearing. The prosecution lawyer on Saturday informed the court that police had no details about the vehicle and these were with the FIA. The court while disposing of another application of the accused Aitzaz Shah being tried in the BB assassination case permitted him to continue his studies along with other jail mates. Earlier, the prosecution lawyer had opposed the application of the accused on the basis that Aitzaz Shah was a high profile criminal and should not be allowed to get his education along with other jail mates. The counsel for Aitzaz Shah also withdrew the old bail application on behalf of his client. The legal minds are of the view that the court might frame charges against Aziz and Shahzad as well as five other accused including Abdul Rasheed, Husnain Gul, Rafaqat Husnain, Sher Zaman and Aitzaz Shah in the next hearing. AFP adds: The court had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Rawalpindis police chief at the time, Saud Aziz, and another senior police officer, Khurram Shahzad, special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said. I filed an application that the two police officers be summoned as accused in the case for their abetment in the crime and the court has accepted my request today, Ali told AFP. The officers failed to provide adequate security to Bhutto, denied her a post-mortem and were also responsible for hosing down the scene of the killing immediately after the crime, the prosecutor said. The court will resume the hearing on December 11, he said. Police said they had arrested five men in the weeks following Bhuttos slaying and five other suspects were at large, of whom three had been killed, including Taliban and Al-Qaeda commander Baitullah Mehsud. Mehsud, who had denied involvement in Bhuttos assassination, was killed in a US drone attack in August 2009 in South Waziristan. A three-member UN panel tasked with investigating Bhuttos assassination reported in April that it believed the government of then military ruler Pervez Musharraf had failed to provide Bhutto with adequate protection. The panel said its investigation had been hampered by intelligence agencies and other officials who had impeded an unfettered search for the truth.