Maharashtra Public Works Department Minister Chaggan Bhujbal and two former police officers would appear as defence witnesses in a special court on February 18 in a case registered against alleged terrorist Mohammed Afroz for waging a war against the nation. Hearing a plea by Afroz, special judge A P Bhangale of designated Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court asked Bhujbal, former city police chief M N Singh and suspended Deputy Commissioer of Police Pradip Sawant, to appear as defence witnesses on February 18.The court, on February four, had issued bailable warrant against Sawant, asking him to appear on February 18 as defence witness to tender evidence in Afroz's case. The warrant was issued as Sawant failed to appear on earlier two occasions. Afroz was arrested on October two, 2002, on the charge of waging a war against the nation. According to police, he was part of the Al Qaeda network, which had planned to blow up House of Commons in UK, the Indian Parliament and Rialto Tower in Australia. Initially, he was booked under POTA but the POTA charge was dropped later and he is now being tried under IPC. Afroz had urged the court to examine Bhujbal and others as witnesses as they had sanctioned his prosecution at the relevant time.