Detention period of those acquitted in BB murder case extended

LAHORE: A provincial review board comprising three judges of the Lahore High Court on Monday extended for 60 days the detention period of five persons who were acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder case.

Police produced the detainees before the review board under strict security arrangements. During in-camera proceedings, the provincial government and the police officials presented supportive documents before the review board and sought extension in the detention period of the detainees. The board headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan allowed the request and extended the detention for 60 days. The government had detained them soon after their release by the Rawalpindi’s trial court in the murder case. The acquitted persons – Rafaqat Hussain, Sher Zaman, Hasnain Gull, Abdul Rasheed and Aitzaz Shah – allegedly belonged to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The board had extended their detention for 90 days on Nov 28, 2017.

Besides acquitting these five men of the charges, the trial court had declared former president retired Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the case and awarded 17-year imprisonment each to two senior police officers – Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad – for showing negligence in security arrangements which led to assassination of Benazir on Dec 27, 2007 outside Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi. However, a LHC bench later suspended their sentence.