Senate wants early completion of Benazir murder trial

ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Committee of the Senate on Monday directed the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) to enquire from FIA as to how long will it take to complete the trial in the murder of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. 

The direction was issued after Senator Dr Babar Awan raised the issue of grave human rights violation of not only the Bhutto family but of the entire nation arising out of the inordinate delay in concluding the case marked by frequent transfer of trial judges, assassination of a prosecutor and repeated changes of the prosecutors.

The meeting of Human Rights Committee of the Senate was presided over by Senator Mohsin Leghari and was attended by Senators Babar Awan, Nisar Khan, Sitara Ayaz, Samina Abid, Mir Kabir Shahi, Sehar Kamran and Farhatullah Babar.

The committee also recommended conferment of civil award on the Multan based human rights defender Advocate Rashed Rehman and directed the Human Rights Ministry to prepare a summary for the government in this regard. 

The issue was raised by Senator Farhatullah Babar who bemoaned that no progress had been made in the trial of Rashed Rehman’s killers.  He demanded that efforts must be stepped up to apprehend the killers who have reportedly fled the country and at the same time late Rashed Rehman be awarded a high civil award as a mark of recognition for his pioneering work to defend human rights of citizen in the course of which he himself was assassinated by extremists and militants. 

The Punjab police informed the Committee that one of the assailants of Rashed Rehman had been killed in police encounter sometime back while the other two had fled across the country and that efforts were afoot to apprehend the absconding accused in the case.

The Committee was also informed that a comprehensive security plan had been devised for the security of the family of late Rashed Rehman and complainant and witnesses of the case.  The Committee also discussed the issue of 28 persons missing from the internment centre in Malakand and decided to invite the home secretary KP and the IG Prisons KP to the next meeting. 

The officer in charge of the internment centre Malakand had informed the Committee that the army authorities had produced seven out of 35 undeclared internees before the Supreme Court and that the whereabouts of 28 others was not known to the jail authorities. 

Senator Farhatullah Babar asked that the matter be referred to the NCHR to investigate as to what happened to the remaining 28 internees.  He said that some time back Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had himself lodged FIR with the police nominating some people responsible. 

He said that the NCHR should investigate progress in that FIR and report to the Committee.  The Committee also deferred consideration of the Private Members Bill "The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017" moved by Senator Dr Babar Awan and referred by the Chairman Senate to the human rights committee. 

The Committee decided to invite the representatives of transgender community also to give their views on the proposed legislation.  The Law Ministry informed the Committee that a Bill is already under consideration on the subject and proposed that the two bills may be clubbed together.