On 20 September 1996 Murtaza Bhutto, head of the Pakistan People's Party (Shaheed Bhutto), was killed in a shoot-out with police in Karachi (AP 5 July 1997; AFP 7 June 1997; Reuters 19 Dec. 1996).

According to the Karachi daily newspaper, Dawn, in November 1996 Dr. Shoaib Suddle, deputy inspector-general of police, was the only one of the 23 accused in the Murtaza murder case who was granted bail; 19 others were under arrest, while Abdullah Shah and two others had absconded (9 June 1997). Another source reported Suddle as the Chief of the Karachi police force at the time of the assassination (AFP 7 June 1997).

In mid-December 1996 Reuters reported that in addition to authorities issuing a new arrest warrant for Asif Zardari (husband of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto) in connection with the Murtaza murder, police had "detained Abdullah Shah, former chief minister of Sindh province during Bhutto's government for alleged involvement in a land scam" (19 Dec. 1997).

On 31 May 1997 a "high-powered tribunal" that had investigated the murder submitted its report to the Sindh provincial government (Japan Economic Newswire 31 May 1997). The tribunal found that "the killings had been extrajudicial and presupposed clearance from high-level political authorities" (AI 1998, 269). Former Sindh Chief Minister Abdullah Shah, Asif Zardari and several senior police officers were "indicted of conspiring to kill" Murtaza (Japan Economic Newswire 31 May 1997).

In early June 1997 media sources reported that a court hearing on the Murtaza murder had declared Syed Abdullah Shah and two police officers absconders after they failed to appear (AFP 7 June 1997; The Bangladesh Observer 6 July 1997, 1, 12; Dawn 9 June 1997). At that time, it was believed that Shah was outside Pakistan and that his assets within the country had been frozen (AFP 7 June 1997).

On 5 July 1997 a judge formally charged Asif Ali Zardari, and "21 former officials with murder and conspiracy," including Syed Abdullah Shah, in Murtaza's death (AP 5 July 1997; The Bangladesh Observer 6 July 1997, 1, 12).

According to Amnesty International, the trial of Zardari and the co-accused in the Murtaza's murder was continuing at the end of 1997 (AI 1998 269).

Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 7 June 1997. "Former Karachi Police Chief Detained in Murtaza Bhutto Murder Case." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International (AI). 1998. Amnesty International Report 1998. New York: Amnesty International.

The Associated Press (AP). 5 July 1997. Ghulam Hasnan. "Karachi Court Charges Bhutto's Husband with Her Brother's Murder." (NEXIS)

The Bangladesh Observer [Dhaka]. 6 July 1997. "Zardari Charged With Murtaza Murder."

Dawn [Karachi]. 9 June 1997. "Suddle Arrested."

Japan Economic Newswire. 31 May 1997. "Murtaza Bhutto Murder Report Submitted to Gov't." (NEXIS)

Reuters. 19 December 1996. BC Cycle. "Pakistan Police Order Re-Arrest of Zardari." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). 1997.

State of Human Rights in 1996.

_____. February 1998.

State of Human Rights in 1997.

Research Directorate. Indexed Media Review [Ottawa]. Weekly. November 1996-present.

Resource Centre. "Pakistan" country file. November 1996-present.

Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases.