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Murder

Benazir Bhutto Murder Case: US Lobbyist Summoned Again, FIA Seeks Action Against Director for Backtracking

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a significant development in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has summoned US lobbyist Mark Siegel for the second time, directing him to appear before the court on Tuesday to record his statement. The move comes despite the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) expressing its inability to produce Mr Siegel, citing security concerns. The FIA, however, has assured the court that it would provide Mr Siegel with adequate security during his stay in Pakistan.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mark Siegel, a key witness against former president Pervez Musharraf, has been summoned by the ATC for the second time in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.
  • The FIA, which is prosecuting the case, has expressed its inability to produce Mr Siegel citing security concerns, but has assured the court of providing him adequate security.
  • Siegel had accused Musharraf of threatening Bhutto about her safety and security in Pakistan, citing a conversation between the two in 2007.
  • The prosecution alleges that Aziz removed DSP Anwar from Liaquat Bagh while Ms Bhutto's rally was in progress, and that Anwar was responsible for Ms Bhutto's 'box security' along with 36 commandos from the Elite Force.
  • The ATC declared FIA's director Yasin Farooq as a hostile witness and discarded his testimony against Saud Aziz in January this year.
  • Farooq has now been charged with backtracking from his statement recorded in the Benazir murder case against former city police officer (CPO) Saud Aziz.

Statistics:

  • 2007: The year in which Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.
  • 2009: The year in which Mark Siegel recorded his statement before FIA's JIT, accusing Pervez Musharraf of threatening Bhutto about her safety and security.
  • 2010: The year in which FIA's director Yasin Farooq stated that Aziz sent DSP Anwar to the Islamabad Expressway.
  • 2013: The year in which Mark Siegel refused to testify before the ATC citing security concerns.

Sources:

  • ATC judge Pervez Ismail Joeya's order summoning Mark Siegel on Tuesday.
  • FIA sources who expressed the agency's inability to produce Mr Siegel due to security concerns.
  • Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report in which Mark Siegel's statement was recorded.
  • Benazir Bhutto's email to Mark Siegel on October 26, 2007, expressing her sense of insecurity.
  • Mark Siegel's statement in which he accused Pervez Musharraf of threatening Bhutto about her safety and security in Pakistan.
  • FIA's application against its director Yasin Farooq for backtracking from his statement recorded in the Benazir murder case.

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