ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi issued fresh summons to US lobbyist Mark Siegel on Saturday for recording his statement in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case after the prosecution agency informed the ATC that the earlier notice could not be delivered to him within the given time.

Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman had on Dec 15 asked Mr Siegel, Dr Mussadaq Khan, the then principal of Rawalpindi Medical College, and some police officials to appear before the court.

As the proceedings began, defence counsel informed the judge that lawyers were on a strike in response to a call of the Punjab Bar Council and therefore were not appearing in courts.

Federal Investigation Agency’s special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said Mr Siegel was not available at his US residence when Pakistani officials visited the place to deliver the notice.

He said that after the court had summoned Mr Siegel, the FIA wrote a letter to the ministry of interior, asking it to make arrangements for Mr Siegel’s travel to Pakistan. The interior ministry contacted the ministry of foreign affairs which directed the Pakistan embassy in the US to deliver the notice to Mr Siegel. When the embassy staff went to Mr Siegel’s residence, they were told he was not there.

The FIA prosecutor said that other witnesses, including Dr Khan and District Police Officer Ashfaq Anwar, were in the court and the defence counsel could cross-examine them. But the court deferred the cross-examination on the request of the defence counsel.

Advocate Ali filed an application, seeking hearing of the case on a daily basis. He also submitted a copy of an order issued by the Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court on Dec 17, directing the ATC to dispose of the case expeditiously.  He said the case was pending in the ATC for the last five years.

Some defence lawyers said they would not be able to attend daily proceedings because of their commitments to other clients, adding they could only appear before the ATC once a week.

The ATC then rejected the FIA prosecutor’s plea.