Court refuses daily hearing of BB case
06 January, 2013
RAWALPINDI: The anti-terrorist court (ATC) hearing former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder case has rejected the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) plea to hear the case on a day-to-day basis. The refusal comes after PPP Chairman and the former premier's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned delay in decision in the case in his December 27 speech. According to the details, FIA's prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar has submitted an application in the ATC, requesting that the hearing of the BB murder case be conducted on a daily basis in order to ensure early completion of the trial in view of the Lahore High Court's directions. FIA's counsel also contended that since the court had decided former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer's assassination case within a year, therefore, the Benazir assassination case should also be decided as soon as possible. The court, however, declined the FIA plea and observed that it could not take up the case on a daily basis without the cooperation of the defence lawyers. Hearing of the case has been adjourned until January 19. The court also issued fresh summons for Mark Siegel, an American journalist, for appearance in the court as prosecution witness on the next hearing. It did not record the statements of five other witnesses because the defence lawyers said they were on strike on the call of their bar association. End.
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