RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi Tuesday accepted a request to hold fresh trial of a case pertaining to the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, DawnNews reported.

The counsel for Tanveer Kaira Sardar Latif Khosa and accused persons former City Police Officer (CPO) Saud Aziz, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khurram Shahzad attended today’s hearing in the ATC.

During the hearing, the defence and prosecuting lawyers presented their arguments over the application seeking to prevent the main accused former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from becoming a party in the case.

Akhtar Shah, belonging to the Pakistan Social Justice Party, argued that being a former president of the country, Pervez Musharraf could not be held responsible in the case, adding that the president’s office enjoyed complete immunity.

Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) prosecutor Chaudhry opposed the application and said that Akhtar Shah could not become a party in the case.

The court reserved its judgment on the application seeking to prevent Musharraf from becoming a party in the case and later, dismissed the said request.

The court accepted the request seeking a re-trial of the case and ordered the FIA to present a list of witnesses at the next hearing.

The hearing of the case was subsequently adjourned to October 22.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.