Six accused in Murtaza Bhutto murder case acquitted

Six accused in Murtaza Bhutto murder case acquitted

Updated at: 1252 PST, Friday, December 04, 2009 KARACHI: A local court on Friday acquitted six accused in leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto), Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case on Friday. The accused included Mazhar Memon, Asghar Ali, Asif Ali Jatoi, Mehmood Bhallai, Ghulam Mustafa Chandio and Akhter Ali Mirani. Mir Murtaza Bhutto, brother of former premier Benazir Bhutto, was killed in an alleged police encounter. In September 1996, according to police, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and his companions were stopped near his residence in Clifton, Karachi. He was gunned down along with his eight party workers. In this regard, Clifton police had registered a case in which the shootout was declared a police encounter. The judgment in the case was reserved by Sessions Court-East judge Aftab Ahmed Khan after arguments concluded last week following years of hearing. The accused are alleged to have opened fire on the police party stationed near 70-Clifton, which was supposed to inspect Bhutto’s convoy, on September 20, 1996. Bhutto along with many of his companions was killed in the mysterious shootout later in the evening.