Islamabad, Nov 16 (PTI) Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by Taliban, a chargesheet filed by Pakistani investigators to an anti-terrorism court has said, while giving clean chit to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf of any involvement in the case.
The chargesheet filed by a joint investigation team of the federal investigation agency to a Rawalpindi-based court on Monday held the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan responsible for the attack that killed Ms Bhutto on December 27, 2007.
The court is conducting the trial of several suspects arrested in connection with the assassination.
The 48-page chargesheet, which came almost 35 months after the assassination, is based largely on investigations carried out during the Musharraf regime.
It gives a clean chit to Mr Musharraf, who resigned as the President in 2008, and functionaries of the then federal and Punjab governments.
"JIT has so far not come across any evidence regarding abetting and facilitating the December 27, 2007, attack on Ms Benazir Bhutto at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, by any functionary of provincial or federal government. Despite efforts, the JIT has so far not been able to examine Gen. (retired) Pervez Musharraf in this regard," the report said.
Senior unnamed officials of the interior ministry were quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying that Khalid Qureshi, the head of the JIT and chief of FIA's Special investigation group, tried to contact Mr Musharraf but interior minister Rehman Malik stopped him by saying that the former general had "some kind of deal" with the Pakistan People's Party-led government.
The chargesheet indicated that investigators had not conducted an interview with any serving army officer, including Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj, who was chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence at the time of Bhutto's death and Maj. Gen. Nadeem Ejaz Mian, the then Military intelligence chief.
JIT sources told the Dawn that senior military officials did not allow to the team to get the statements of these generals.
The chargesheet said that though the Punjab government was aware of serious threats to Bhutto’s life and kept her under detention and banned her rallies, it failed on the fateful day to provide her foolproof security.
The investigators said they could not find any helpful leads from the investigation into the attack on Bhutto's procession in Karachi's area on October 18, 2007, that killed about 140 people.
The chargesheet accused slain Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud and Ibadur Rehman, Abdullah and Faiz Muhammad (former students of Akora Khattak madrassa in Nowshera), Ikramullah, a would-be suicide bomber, Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Hasnain Gul, Muhammad Rafaqat, Rasheed Ahmed, Nasrullah and Nadir of helping and financing the attack on BhuttoThe attack was to have been carried out by two suicide bombers — Bilal and Ikramullah.
While Bilal blew himself up, Ikramullah fled the spot after the blast.
Former Rawalpindi police chief Syed Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town superintendent of police Khurram Shahzad were charged with criminal negligence of duty and hosing down the crime scene shortly after Bhutto was killed. Experts have said the hosing down destroyed vital evidence.
The report named 124 people as prosecution witnesses, including
Bhutto's former security officer Major (retired) Imtiaz Hussain, her driver Javedur Rehman and doctors who examined her body.
An audio tape of slain Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, in which he indirectly admitted responsibility for Bhutto's assassination, was verified by the JIT.
The investigators said they had contacted the UN Commission that probed the assassination but it did not provide any evidence.
"The JIT sought additional evidence from the United Nations because its commission pointed out at a number of other aspects of the case. however, the ministry of foreign affairs on July 22, in writing, conveyed to the JIT that no such evidence is coming," said the report.
The investigators also contacted the Afghan government, which reportedly conveyed to Ms Bhutto reports of a threat to her life.
The Afghan foreign ministry said it had no record which suggested that President Hamid Karzai had informed Ms Bhutto about a possible threat to her life.
The report also said the UAE government had informed Bhutto and the ISI about the threat to her life.
The anti-terrorism court scheduled the next hearing of the case for November 23, when charges are likely to be formally framed against the accused.