20000120

Durrani granted interim bail in Murtaza murder case

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The last of the 23 persons, accused of gunning down Murtaza Bhutto in front of his ancestral house, was granted interim bail for nine days by a full bench of the Supreme Court here on Wednesday.

Wajid Durrani, former senior superintendent of police, South Karachi, was told to furnish two surety bonds of Rs 200,000 each.

Justices Mohammad Bashir Jehangiri, Sheikh Ijaz Nisar and Mamoon A Kazi ruled that the sureties should be to the satisfaction of the "trial court".

Wajid Durrani had led the police contingent assigned to arrest Murtaza Bhutto and came to exchange fire with him and his men in which Bhutto was among the fatalities.

For final confirmation or rejection of the bail, the judges decided to refer Durrani's request to a bench headed by the Chief Justice on Jan 27.

Similar confirmatory requests of some other accused in the case are also pending before the bench headed by Chief Justice Saeeduzaman Siddiqui and all those will be clubbed together.

Wajid Durrani, according to his counsel Dr A Basit, has been in detention for over three years now while others were on bail.

He said the Sindh High Court had rejected his request because of his presence at the scene of shooting whereas in fact he was there because of his duty.

The wife of Ashiq Hussain Jatoi, who had died in the encounter, opposed Durrani's request.