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Today's Paper | December 01, 2024

Published 13 May, 2010 12:00am

Details of evidence in Benazir Bhutto`s case submitted

RAWALPINDI Police officials accused of destroying vital pieces of evidence after Ms Benazir Bhutto's assassination have submitted to investigators details of about 30 items from the crime scene.

The documents provided to a three-member inquiry committee formed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on the hosing down of the crime scene and to a Joint Investigation Team of the Federal Investigation Agency, include a statement of evidences collected by police from other crime scenes.

According to the documents besides Ms Bhutto, 96 people were killed and 290 injured in eight terrorist attacks which took place between Sept 4, 2007, and July 2, 2009, in different parts of the city.

The documents reveal that senior police officers had presented a detailed report on evidences collected by police from the crime scene on Dec 27, 2007, to a three-member committee.

About casualties suffered by police in the attack, the documents say, constable Naeem Asghar was killed while DSP City Circle Ishtiaq Hussain Shah, ASI Muhammad Nawaz and constables Waseem Abbas, Matiul Rehman, Abdul Qauem and Usman Ali were injured. Two police vans were damaged.

Police claimed that 30 pieces of evidence had been collected before the hosing down of the crime scene. These include a pistol of 30 bore, a damaged magazine, one missed bullet, three live rounds, one 9-MM pistol and five live rounds, a black leather jacket, two empties of 30 bore, a circuit plate, blood from the spot, Land Cruiser BF-7772 of Ms Bhutto, two damaged police vehicles, a damaged private vehicle, two steel plates, the head of the suspected suicide bomber, his left and right legs, shoes of Ms Bhutto, blood from Ms Bhutto's vehicles, a white fluid from the window of the vehicle, a black explosives substance, parts of a skull, limbs of victims, shoes, pieces of clothing, visiting cards, photos, mobile phones and watches.

However, some crucial pieces of possible evidence are missing, including a SIM card used by the bomber or his accomplices, which may have been lost because of the hosing down of the area.

The police officials also submitted details of the evidence collected from the scene of three other suicide attacks, including the Oct 30, 2007, attack on a Mujahid picket, the Feb 25 attack near a Nadra office and Nov 2 attack on Shalimar Plaza.

According to sources, they included a letter written by CPO Saud Aziz to Inspector General of Police of Punjab saying that police had sought Mr Asif Ali Zardari's permission for the autopsy of Ms Bhutto's body, but it was denied.

“But Asif Ali Zardari turned down our request and declared that her post-mortem shall not be conducted,” the letter said. The CPO also requested the IGP to take up the matter with the Sindh Home Department for conducting a post-mortem before Ms Bhutto's burial to complete all legal formalities.

The sources said police officials also referred to the Scotland Yard's report on Ms Bhutto's assassination. The report said that the person who had fired shots was the same who had detonated explosives and at the time of the attack the man was standing close to the rear of the vehicle of Ms Bhutto.

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