RAWALPINDI The Federal Investigation Agency informed a trial court that a number of people could be interrogated in the light of the UN Commission's report on the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto.

Appearing before ATC-I Special Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan, the agency's assistant director sought more time to complete the 're-investigation' because many people were to be questioned on the basis of certain revelations made in the report.

The court expressed dissatisfaction over delay in completing the FIA investigation because proceedings against five accused who were already in custody had been stopped on Aug 22, 2009, at the request of the federal government.

The court asked the agency to submit its complete investigation report on May 5, the next date of hearing.

The judge allowed a separate FIA application seeking permission to interrogate three accused — Said Arab, Muhammad Sharif and Gul Roze — detained on charges of being involved in a suicide attack on a school bus in Kamra, Attock, in early 2008.

The FIA official informed the court that the three were in judicial custody and would be interrogated for their alleged involvement in Ms Bhutto's assassination. Naseer Ahmed Tanoli, the lawyer of accused Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Abdul Rasheed, Muhammad Rafaqat and Hasnain Gul, told Dawn that he was preparing to move the trial court for acquittal of the three accused.

SUICIDE ATTACK CASE

PPP leader Dr Israr Shah, who lost both his legs in a suicide attack at a PPP camp set up to welcome the then non-functional chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, deposed as a witness that former President Pervez Musharraf and former DG of IB Ijaz Shah were responsible for the bombing.