Pak SC for larger bench to hear petition in Bhutto case
PTI | 03:01 PM,Jan 31,2012From Rezaul H Laskar Islamabad, Jan 31 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court today ordered the formation of a larger bench to hear an application seeking the registration of a fresh FIR against 12 people, including former President Pervez Musharraf and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, for alleged involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Benazir Bhutto. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Mohammad Aslam Chaudhry, who served as Bhutto's protocol officer for about two decades. The bench sought responses from the Attorney General and the 12 respondents, including Musharraf, PML-Q leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistan People's Party leader Babar Awan, former Intelligence Bureau chief Ejaz Shah, former Interior Secretary Kamal Shah and former caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan. The apex court also sought the records of the trial by an anti-terrorism court of several suspects charged with involvement in the December 2007 assassination of Bhutto. The court said in its order that a larger bench would take up the case after two weeks. Aslam Chaudhry had approached the apex court after the Lahore High Court turned down his petition for registering a fresh FIR against the 12 people, whom he alleged were involved in a conspiracy against Bhutto. The former protocol officer was injured in the suicide attack that killed Bhutto. During today's proceedings, the bench headed by the Chief Justice observed that no legal heir of Bhutto had filed an FIR regarding her assassination. MORE
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.
Disclaimer: Network18 Media & Investments Limited is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, an offer of its equity shares on rights basis and has filed a Draft Letter of Offer with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The Draft Letter of Offer is available on the website of SEBI at