Bail plea of accused in Benazir case dismissed
RAWALPINDI, Nov 29: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Tuesday dismissed bail application of an accused in Benazir Bhutto assassination case.
The division bench comprising Justice Saghir Ahmed Qadri and Justice Shahzad Ahmed Khan dismissing the bail application of accused Sher Zaman said the defence could not prove his case. Dawn
The counsel of the petitioner Khurram Mehmood Qureshi told that the decision of the division bench would be challenged in the Supreme Court.
He said during the course of hearing, he had contended that the prosecution could not produce any corroboratory evidence to support allegations against his client.
He said his client was accused of having knowledge of conspiracy which is a bailable offence, but was facing charges of killing, abetting and conspiring the assassination.
In a related development, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Shahid Rafique dismissed the petitions of Sher Zaman and his co-accused in Benazir assassination case seeking amendment in their chargesheets.
After the dismissal of the petitions both the accused along with other three will be tried under the charges of killing Ms Bhutto and 22 others deceased people.
The defence counsels told the court that the accused could only be tried (under section 11 L and 202 PPC) for not disclosing the information of assassination adding under these offences the accused may get 6 months imprisonment and forfeiture of the property on the conviction.
Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, FIA senior public prosecutor contended that Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of BB assassination case in the challan held both the petitioners responsible for the assassination.
He said the petitioners along with other three accused were indicted under the same charges in November 2008 and after inclusion of three more accused, former president Pervez Musharraf, former CPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz and former SP Rawal Town Khurram Shahzad, the court re-framed the charges against the five accused in the case.