Pak police officers face charges over Benazir death

Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-terror court today dismissed acquittal pleas of two top Rawalpindi police officers accused of failing to provide adequate security to the assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and destroying vital evidences after her killing. [caption id=“attachment_108783” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The officials have been accused of not taking proper security measures for Bhutto. Reuters”]  [/caption] Rejecting their pleas, judge Shahid Rafique asked the authorities to frame charges against former Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz, and his deputy Khurram Shahzad on 22 October, raising hopes of headway in investigation into the murder, a mystery even after nearly four years. Both have been accused of not taking proper security measures for Bhutto, who was killed in firing and suicide attack in the city of Rawalpindi in December 2007. No group has so far claimed responsibility but then military President Pervez Musharraf had blamed Pakistani Taliban for the killing. Taliban had denied any involvement and blamed Pakistani agencies for the murder. Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder but all have denied any role. The two former police officers were also accused of ordering the crime scene to be washed down less than two hours after the killing. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) dismissed the acquittal pleas from the police officers, which means they would be in the case until the court gives verdict. They are on bail. The police officers argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), probing the murder, had accused them of providing inadequate security to the slain prime minister and for destroying material evidences. However, they said they were being charged of terrorism, murder, attempt to murder and being part of criminal conspiracy. They maintained that under the law, the charge of murder and terrorism could not be levelled against them since the investigation team had not provided any evidence to prove these allegations. PTI