Murtaza Bhutto

information was being passed not in writing but verbally in meetings. The
home secretary took the witness stand at 11.40 pm and was cross-examined
till 1.10 pm by the tribunal, with most of the questions asked by Justice Zahid
and Justice Mohammad, and by counsels of the involved parties.
Counsels present during the cross-examination, and who cross-examined the
home secretary and the IGP, were: (1) Abdul Mujeeb Pirzada, counsel for
Ghinwa Bhutto, Badrunnisa and the PPP (SB); (2) Abdul Ghafoor Mangi,
advocate general for Sindh, and nominated by the Sindh government to assist
the tribunal; (3) Syed Ghazanfar Ali Shah, representing the father of Rahim
Brohi, a companion of Murtaza Bhutto and who died in the incident; (4)
Khwaja Sharful Islam, counsel for suspended SSP (South) Wajed Ali Durrani
and (5) K.M.A. Samdani, counsel for ASPs Shahid Hayat and Mohammed
Tahir (and later filed a vakalatnama claiming the right to represent the DIG,
Karachi Range Dr Shoaib Suddle).
The tribunal headed by Supreme Court Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid is made up
of two judges of the Sindh High Court Justices Ghous Mohammed and
Amanullah Abbasi.
All questions, including those asked by persons other than Justice Zahid,
were addressed and routed through him. Similarly all answers given the
home secretary and the IGP were addressed to Justice Zahid who repeated
them so that they could be entered into the proceeding record.
HOME SECY'S CROSS-EXAMINATION: First was the cross-examination of
Manzoor Bhutto, the Sindh Home Secretary, in charge of the department
under which the police lie. Mr Bhutto took oath from Justice Mohammad
telling the tribunal that he had been appointed to his present post on Aug 5,
1996. The cross-examination lasted around 100 minutes from 11.40 am to 1.15
pm and then another 5 minutes after the lunch break. Detailed excerpts are:
Members of the tribunal initiated the cross-examination. Questions by Justice
Zahid or Justice Mohammad:
Q: Were you aware of this incident of Sept 20 in which the late Mir Murtaza
Bhutto and seven others were killed?
Home Secretary (HS): This incident came to my knowledge at 11 in the
evening.
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