Court summons U.S. journalist in Benazir Bhutto murder case

A Pakistani Anti-terrorism court Saturday summoned American journalist, Mark Siegel, to record his statement in the 2007 assassination case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Mark Siegel, who has served as lobbyist for Benazir Bhutto in the U.S., had stated that he was with Benazir Bhutto in London when former President Pervez Musharraf called and threatened her. Musharraf had denied the allegations.

Benazir Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack and gunshots in the city of Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 shortly after she addressed an election rally. Her Pakistan Peoples Party won elections two months later and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was then elected the President.

The then government of President Pervez Musharraf had blamed Pakistani Taliban for the attack, the charges denied by the militants.

Five suspects are currently facing trial for Bhutto’s assassination. Two police officers, assigned for the security of Benazir Bhutto, were also arrested on charges of negligence in providing security to Bhutto.

The Anti-Terrorism court in Rawalpindi summoned Mark Siegel, also a Bhutto family friend, and four other witnesses on January 5 to make their statements before the judge, lawyers said. The other witnesses include two former police officers and two doctors, who had been in hospital when Benazir Bhutto was brought for treatment.

Investigators had earlier told the trial court that Mark Siegel had agreed to record his statement before the Pakistani court in the high-profile Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The Federal Investigative Agency or FIA had already sought arrest warrants for Pervez Musharraf after he failed to appear before the court to make statement about his administration’s  failure to provide security to Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf has been living in exile, mostly in London and Dubai, since his resignation in 2008. He has also launched his own political party and says to return the country before the upcoming elections.

The FIA had formally made the statement of Mark Siegel a part of the Benazir murder case, the FIA prosecutors say.

A FIA official had also visited Mark Siegel in the U.S. and had obtained his statement, which says that he was with Benazir Bhutto in London when Musharraf called her. “Benazir Bhutto became upset after receiving telephone of Musharraf at that time. In fact, it was a threatening call of Musharraf for Benazir Bhutto,” the FIA prosecutor quoted the American journalist as saying.

Mark Siegel gad also claimed that Musharraf had warned Benazir Bhutto that she should not land in Pakistan for contesting 2008 elections, and if she decided to come, she would have to face the music. Musharraf had warned her that his government would not give surety of her life in case she comes to Pakistan.

The special prosecutor said that according to Mark Siegel’s statement, Benazir Bhutto sent an email in which she told that she was getting continuous warnings and threats from Musharraf government.

“She told him that her life was in danger. She added that if she died all responsibility would fall on Musharraf and his friends. Mark Siegel has provided copy of email to FIA and we would present the copy in court very soon,” the special prosecutor said.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=36227

Posted by Tahir Khan on Dec 15 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics, South Asia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.