Rawalpindi - An investigation officer of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Benazir Bhutto (BB) assassination case informed an anti-terrorism court that the investigation launched by local police was full of flaws.
He told the court that even there are flaws in dates and timings of arrest of the accused. Moreover, two mobile phone SIMs used by two out of five accused in BB murder case to talk with then TTP Chief Baitullah Mehsud late and others were not registered in their own names, he added. The FIA had not approached or investigated the real owners of the mobile phone SIMs, he mentioned.
FIA Assistant Director Shoaib Ahmed, who is also an investigation officer, said this in response to queries of Malik Jawad Khalid, the defence lawyer of Hasnain Gull, during cross-examination at Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) number 1. The court adjourned the hearing in the high profile case till March 14, 2016 after completion of cross-examination of the prosecution witness. However, Barrister Faroogh Naseem, the counsel for former military dictator and the main accused in BB murder case General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, will cross examine Director FIA Azad Khan on the next date of hearing (March 14).
Defence lawyer Malik Jawad Khalid told The Nation that he asked the FIA AD Shoaib if he told the court that the mobile phone SIMs were in name of his client Aitzaz Shah or had FIA approached the real owners of the SIMs. The investigation officer said that he had not presented any ownership record of mobile phone SIMs or included the real owners of SIMs in investigation. Khalid said that the FIA AD also told the court that local police conducted faulty investigation in the BB murder case and mentioned wrong dates and time of arrest of the accused.
He said that Barrister Faroogh Nasim would cross-examine FIA Director Azad Khan on Monday. Azad Khan recorded the statement of US lobbyist Mark Siegel in USA, besides recovering mobile phones of Benazir Bhutto from Bilawal House, according to Khalid. The mobile phones were handed over to director by Abdul Razzaq Meerani, he added.
Another defence counsel Naseer Ahmed Tanoli, who is contesting case on behalf of Aitzaz Shah, told this correspondent outside the court that FIA presented a data chart before the judge showing the call-links between the accused and the other handlers. He said that two mobile phone SIMs were not registered in name of Aitzaz Shah and Hasnain Gull. “The two SIMs according to FIA data chart are registered in names of Mazhar-ud-Din and Haji Shah Wali Khan who were not grilled by FIA investigator,” he added.
The hearing in BB murder case was also attended by former City Police Officer Syed Saud Aziz and former Superintendent of Police (SP) Khurram Shehzad, who are also accused in the case but are on bail.