Zardari stopped BBs post-mortem

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) here Wednesday rejected the plea for pre-arrest bail of former City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, Syed Saud Aziz, and former SP Rawal Town, Khurram Shehzad, in Benazir Bhutto murder case and gave both the accused into the custody of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The FIA would obtain the physical remand of both the accused from the court on Thursday (today). The court adjourned the proceeding of the case till January 7, 2011. During the hearing of the case here at Adiala Jail, FIA Public Prosecutors Chaudhry Zulfiqar, Chaudhry Azhar and defence counsel Malik Waheed Anjum completed their arguments. The defence council also presented the audio statement of Benazir Bhuttos spouse through a laptop before the court in which President Asif Ali Zardari said, The post-mortem of Benazirs body would not be allowed. After hearing the arguments of the counsels, the ATC dismissed bail pleas of Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad and ordered FIA officials to arrest both the accused. The FIA officials subsequently arrested both the police officials from the court premises. It is pertinent to mention here that FIA had submitted incomplete challan in the case before the court against both the police officials. ATC-III in an earlier hearing on December 19 had extended the interim bails of Saud and Shehzad. Special Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar, while talking to media men, said that the court rejected their application for bail and the judge said This was their prime duty to carry out the post-mortem of Benazirs body after her assassination. Meanwhile, five alleged killers in BB murder case - Aitzaz Shah, Hasnain Gul, Rafaqat, Sher Zaman and Abdul Rasheed - were also presented before the court. Meanwhile, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of FIA probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto continued grilling former CPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz and former SP Rawal Town, Khurram Shahzad till late Wednesday night. Both the officers are with FIAs custody after cancellation of their bails by an Anti-Terrorism Court (No III) Rawalpindi. Interestingly, Saud Aziz was doing his promotion course at Pakistan Administrative Staff College Lahore prior to his arrest. Federal Government had sent him on Staff College Course, necessary for promotion to grade 21 from BPS 20 while ignoring the fact that FIA had charged him with official negligence in the BB murder case. The sources in FIA disclosed that JIT led by Khalid Qureshi, Wednesday night, cross-questioned both the officers at its headquarters. A senior officer of the agency connected with the investigations informed that both the officers had been kept at FIA Headquarters and looked quite confused while facing the probe of JIT. FIA would produce both of them before a local court on Thursday (Today) for ten days physical remand. Both the officers had been avoiding the probe of JIT for almost last two years since its inception. FIA sources said that JIT had put three basic questions before the two officers; first, why the crime scene was hosed down without properly collecting the evidence; secondly, why the post mortem of Benazir Bhutto was halted and thirdly, why Khurram Shahzad SP Rawal Town deputed at the security of Benazirs procession in Liaquat Bagh was removed from the scene on December 27, 2007. Zardari stopped BBs post-mortem

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