RAWALPINDI: The two senior police officers who were sentenced to 17 years in prison for negligence and security lapses that lead to the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto in 2007 have been housed in B-class in Central Jail Adiala.

On the other hand, the five suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) members who were accused of conspiring to kill the former prime minister were kept in ‘high security’ prison cells. The suspected TTP members were acquitted by the anti-terrorism court (ATC) for lack of evidence and could not be released from Central Jail Adiala on Thursday.

They were detained for 30 more days in the jail on the request of the Punjab police’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

The CTD district officer wrote to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi Talat Mehmood Gondal saying that the release of Sher Zaman, a resident of Waziristan, will be prejudicial to public safety and the maintenance of public order. The letter said Zaman may act in connivance with other members of the network to conduct terrorist activities in Rawalpindi and may therefore be a danger to public lives and property.

The five suspected TTP members, acquitted in the case and detained for a month again, are housed in ‘high security’ cells

The DC Rawalpindi issued detention orders under section 26 of the Maintenance of Public Order for the detention of the five suspects for a month. They were placed under the custody of the superintendent of Central Jail Rawalpindi. However, the detainees have the right to make representation against their detention before the additional chief secretary, Punjab Home Department Lahore.

The heirs of the five suspects who were waiting outside the jail to receive them returned home after the detention orders were issued.

According to sources, before the ATC judge announced the long awaited verdict in the murder trial of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the two senior police officers, Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad had been in Adiala Jail, not knowing what was going to happen to them.

The sources said that before announcing the verdict, the special judge had directed jail authorities to bring out the five suspected TTP members from their cells.

They said all those present in the special court were stunned when they heard the verdict in which the two senior officials were convicted of “mishandling the crime scene” and for their role in having the site hosed down within two hours of the attack. They were sentenced to 17 years in prison each and fined Rs1 million each as well. The other five suspects were acquitted for lack of evidence.

The two senior police officials were taken into custody by the jail authorities and taken to their prison cells. Some senior officers met with them and expressed their sympathies, including the RPO and CPO Rawalpindi, DPO Attock and SSP CTD.

The sources said almost all police officers were concerned over the conviction of the two senior police officers who were considered hardworking and efficient police officers.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after an election rally in Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007. The then government of Pervez Musharraf had blamed TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud for the killing but Mehsud had denied any involvement in the murder.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2017