Musharraf fails to appear in court
8 Aug 2013 5:25 AM IST
Pakistan’s ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday failed to appear in court to be indicted over the murder of former premier Benazir Bhutto due to what police said were security concerns.
Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-armed state from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto in December 2007. ut police and his lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe enough to bring Musharraf to the court due to threats against his life.
Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until August 20 and ordered Musharraf to appear then. Charging a former army chief would be an unprecedented move in a country ruled for more than half of its life by the military.
There is, however, lingering speculation about the possibility of a behind-the-scenes deal that could allow him to leave Pakistan without facing the courts and undermining the military.
Musharraf, who has been under house arrest at his plush villa on the edge of the capital Islamabad since April 19, had appeared before the court in person on July 30.
Musharraf’s lawyer Syeda Afshan Adil told the court that security threats meant her client could not appear in person.
A police official also confirmed that officers were unable to escort Musharraf to the court house due to security risks. An AFP reporter said there was tight security at the court with police commandos checking vehicles and patting down pedestrians.
Bhutto, twice elected prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in December 2007 after campaigning in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. There was no public claim of responsibility for Bhutto’s murder.
Musharraf’s government blamed her assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. The Bhutto case is one in a series of court battles that Musharraf has faced since his retrun
Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-armed state from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto in December 2007. ut police and his lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe enough to bring Musharraf to the court due to threats against his life.
Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until August 20 and ordered Musharraf to appear then. Charging a former army chief would be an unprecedented move in a country ruled for more than half of its life by the military.
There is, however, lingering speculation about the possibility of a behind-the-scenes deal that could allow him to leave Pakistan without facing the courts and undermining the military.
Musharraf, who has been under house arrest at his plush villa on the edge of the capital Islamabad since April 19, had appeared before the court in person on July 30.
Musharraf’s lawyer Syeda Afshan Adil told the court that security threats meant her client could not appear in person.
A police official also confirmed that officers were unable to escort Musharraf to the court house due to security risks. An AFP reporter said there was tight security at the court with police commandos checking vehicles and patting down pedestrians.
Bhutto, twice elected prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in December 2007 after campaigning in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. There was no public claim of responsibility for Bhutto’s murder.
Musharraf’s government blamed her assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. The Bhutto case is one in a series of court battles that Musharraf has faced since his retrun
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