RAWALPINDI - Former City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Saud Aziz, also accused in PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto (BB) murder case, lost his mind over media men and threatened them of dire consequences, who were present in the courtroom of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Number 1 for the coverage of proceeding of the case here on Saturday.
“What are you journalists doing here? Just get out from the courtroom. I will see you all. You people publish one-sided news against me in BB murder case,” shouted Syed Saud Aziz at a reporter of a private TV channel and Urdu daily.
Former CPO told his lawyers and their assistants, “This guy filed biased news against me and also distributed among other journalists. I will have to deal him with an iron hand.”
On the occasion, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Special Prosecutors Chaudhry Azhar and Chaudhry Zulfiqar, former SP Rawal Town Khurram Shehzad, the defence lawyers including Salman Safdar, other prosecution witnesses Dr Abdul Rehman District Emergency Officer Rescue 1122, Ghulam Muhammad Naz, a fire brigade officer, Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) Principal and Allied Hospitals Chief Dr Musaddiq Khan and of court officials were also present in the courtroom.
The journalist community vehemently denounced the arrogant attitude of former police officer and accused in BB murder case with media men and demanded of the higher authorities to take notice of the issue or else the journalists will hold protest demo in the court premises.
Former CPO Syed Saud Aziz could not be approached immediately for his comments.
After, a prosecution witness Dr Abdul Rehman, District Emergency Officer (DEO), reiterated that his staff was asked by the then SP Rawal Town to hose down the crime scene after former premier BB was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack at Liaquat Bagh on 27 December 2007.
In his statement, Dr Abdul Rehman informed the ATC No 1 that SP Khurram Shahzad asked him to wash the crime scene outside Liaqat Bagh as the law enforcers had collected enough evidences for the investigation of the case.
Dr Rehman, whose staff reached the bomb blast site within seven minutes, added that firefighters of Rescue 1122 hose down the crime scene on Liaqat Road on the instruction of the police officer.
DEO’s statement was further endorsed by Ghulam Muhammad Naz, Assistant Fire Officer Rawal Town Municipal Administration, said FIA Special Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar while talking to media.
Quoting the witness, he said that he reached at the blast site in five minutes and was also directed by the SP to wash the crime scene after some an hour of the incident.
On this, ATC No 1 Special Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman postponed the hearing till January 22, 2012 for penning in the statement of RMC Principal Dr Musaddiq Khan, who examined the former premier when she was transported to Rawalpindi General Hospital (Now is known as Benazir Bhutto Hospital).
It is worth mentioning here that FIA and Scotland Yard investigators had raised serious question during investigation about immediate washing of the crime scene and feared many important pieces of evidence might have been collected if the crime scene would have been preserved and examined for longer time.
SP Khurram Shehzad stated before the investigators that police ordered rescuers for hosing down the crime scene only after collecting the necessary evidences. He had further stated that soon after the news of death of Benazir Bhutto the workers of Pakistan Peoples Party started gathering outside Liaqat Bagh and rubbing the blood on their faces and there was fear of law and order getting deteriorated.
Separately Salman Safdar advocate representing former CPO Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shehzad filed an application in the court asking for recording of the statements of prosecution witnesses in a systematic way.
The lawyer raising objections to the way prosecution presenting its witnesses urged on the trial court to direct FIA produce first the investigators followed by doctors and then other witnesses. It may be noted that the prosecutor in the case had been trying hard to convince the trial court to conduct day-to-day hearings in the case pending for last five years.
Chaudhry Zulfiqar had urged on the court to follow the direction of the Lahore High Court asking all ATCs to conduct day-to-day hearings in all terrorism cases.