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Monday 4 March 2013 - 05:36

witnesses in Benazir Bhutto’s murder case receive threats from Taliban

Story Code : 244039
witnesses in Benazir Bhutto’s murder case receive threats from Taliban
The Pakistani media reported on Sunday that a key prosecution witness in the Benazir Bhutto’s murder case did not testify in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi on Saturday because he received threats from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
 
The witness is a police officer, Sub Inspector (SI) Ashfaq Ahmed. He is at present working in the Criminal Investigation Department of Lahore - CDI -
 
The ATC summoned him to record his statement but he failed to appear before the court, fearing the Taliban would make do in its threats and harm his person. 
The Federal Investigation Agency - FIA -, told the press Ashfaq Ahmed went as far as switching off his mobile phone for fear of a terrorist attack. The FIA produced before the court a written complaint by the witness stating how the Taliban had threatened him.
 
Ashfaq Ahmed alleged an unknown leader of the TTP called him on his cell number and threatened to kill him as well as other members of his family if he appeared before the ATC to testify against the accused in Bhutto murder case.
 
An FIA official also produced two other similar complaints by the Station House Officer - SHO - of Civil Lines, Rawalpindi, Inspector Ijaz Hussain Shah, and Gujrat SHO Inspector Mohammad Ilyas about threats from the TTP. Both officers appeared before the court despite the threats.
 
According to the two SHOs, both received a call from Afghanistan on Feb 26. The unknown caller identified himself as the Taliban’s deputy chief and warned them of `revenge’ if they testified before the ATC.
 
Moreover, an FIA official told the media his organization had traced the number back to Afghanistan. “The FIA is carrying out further investigations to reach the unknown caller.”
 
Security has now been stepped up for all key witnesses in the Benazir murder case.
 
Another Key witness in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, American journalist Mark Siegel also refused to come to Pakistan due to security concerns.
 
It is important to mention that the Pakistani Taliban group took taken responsibility over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto - the former Prime Minister was killed in a terror attack in Rawalpindi on December 27th 2007 -
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