RAWALPINDI, Dec 24: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) here on Saturday filed an application with the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) seeking early decision on their three pleas for the day-to-day trial of Benazir Bhutto assassination case.

Since June, FIA special prosecutors Chaudhry Zulfiqar and Azhar Chaudhry have filed the applications under sub-section 7 of Section 19 of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997, under which the ATC could hear the case on a daily basis.

“We have been waiting for the court response and wanted speedy trial of the case, because on the fourth death anniversary of Ms Bhutto (December 27), the nation will be asking as to why the high-profile murder case could not be decided even after four years,” Chaudhry Zulfiqar said while talking to Dawn.

If the court did not respond to our applications, we will be considering approaching the Lahore High Court (LHC), he said.

Meanwhile, ATC Judge Shahid Rafique on Saturday recorded statements of three prosecution witnesses in the Benazir assassination case at Adiala Jail. They included Chaudhry Taufiq, a magistrate who had recorded the confessional statements of Rafaqat Hussain and Husnain Gul, two of the accused persons in the case.

The other two witnesses were Usman Maftoon, an official of a cellphone service provider who produced the call data of the parents of Hussain and Gul, and Feroz Alam, director PTCL.

The court summoned seven prosecution witnesses for the next date of hearing on January 7. The defence counsel cross examined Noman Ashraf Bodla, the forensic expert of FIA counterterrorism wing.

Khurram Mehmood Qureshi, counsel for Sher Zaman, raised objections to the statement of magistrate Taufiq and said his name was not included in the list of prosecution witnesses that was provided to the defence on the last date of hearing on December 17.

Mr Qureshi told Dawn that the prosecution very often comes up with irreverent record and wasted the time of the court as well as of the defence counsel.

The same court also took up the petition of Sehba Musharraf, the spouse of former president General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, against confiscation of his property in the Benazir murder case.

Chaudhry Faisal, one of the counsel for Ms Musharraf, told the court that senior lawyers Fawad Chaudhry and Nayyab Hussain Gardezi could not appear on Saturday due to some reasons and requested the court to adjourn the case.

The court warned him that it would not entertain any other request for adjournment on the next date of hearing on January 7.

FIA prosecutor Ali told Dawn that the request of the counsel was a bid to delay the matter.