Pak court orders Musharraf be probed in Benazir's murder

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Pak court orders Musharraf be
probed in Benazir's murder
Press Trust of India | 23-Apr
20:52 PM
Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-
terrorism court on Tuesday
ordered the Federal
Investigation Agency to include
former military ruler Pervez
Musharraf, a "proclaimed
offender", in the probe into the
assassination of ex-prime
minister Benazir Bhutto in
2007. Musharraf appeared
before Judge Chaudhry Habib-
ur-Rehman for the first time
since the Rawalpindi-based
court began hearing the case in
2008.
His lawyer asked the judge to
withdraw orders declaring
Musharraf a fugitive and
freezing his bank accounts and
assets.
The anti-terrorism court, which
conducted the hearing behind
closed doors for security
reasons, had declared
Musharraf a "proclaimed
offender" or fugitive and frozen
his assets in 2011 after he
failed to cooperate with
investigators. The former army
chief's lawyer said these orders
should be withdrawn as he was
now appearing in the anti-
terrorism court.
Musharraf was driven to the
Rawalpindi-based court from
his plush villa on the outskirts of
Islamabad which was declared
a "sub-jail" last week after he
was remanded to judicial
custody for a fortnight for
charges dating back to his 9-
year rule.
Musharraf, 69, was accused of
providing inadequate security
to Bhutto after she returned to
Pakistan from self-exile in late
2007. Bhutto was assassinated
in a gun-and-bomb attack
shortly after she addressed an
election rally at Liaquat Bagh in
Rawalpindi on December 27,
2007.
The judge directed Musharraf to
cooperate with investigators
and adjourned the case till May
3. He also directed the FIA to
complete its investigation and
submit a 'challan' or
chargesheet in court.
Musharraf's counsel argued that
Bhutto was murdered in 2007
while the former President was
implicated in the case on
"political basis" when he was
abroad.
He further argued that
Musharraf was innocent and
had nothing to do with the
murder. Chief prosecutor
Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali of the FIA
told reporters that Musharraf
had not cooperated with
investigators. "While he was on
bail for a month, he did not join
the investigation. Today was the
first time he appeared in the
court," he said.
After the hearing, Musharraf
was driven back to his
farmhouse amidst tight security.
Outside the anti-terrorism court,
scores of lawyers scuffled with
a large group of Musharraf's
supporters. The lawyers beat
the former dictator's supporters
with sticks and damaged
several cars.
Footage on television showed
both groups lobbing stones at
each other on a street outside
the court complex. Four persons
were injured and traffic in the
area was held up for about half
an hour. In a separate
development, the Supreme
Court resumed hearing five
identical petitions seeking
Musharraf's trial for treason for
imposing emergency rule in
2007.
Ahmad Raza Kasuri, the head of
Musharraf's legal team, told the
apex court his client had no
faith in the bench hearing the
treason case. "My client has no
faith in the bench hearing the
case," Kasuri said. The Supreme
Court should first address the
issue of forming a larger bench
or handing over the case to the
full court.
Ibrahim Satti, another of
Musharraf's lawyers, said his
client's name should be
removed from the Exit Control
List, which has names of people
barred from travelling out of
Pakistan. Satti claimed the
charge of treason was yet to be
proved and adding Musharraf's
name to the Exit Control List
was a violation of his
fundamental rights.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, a
member of the bench, said
Musharraf should apply to the
court if he wants to travel
abroad. Pakistan's interim
government, formed last month
to conduct the May 11 general
election, informed the Supreme
Court on Monday that it would
not file treason charges against
Musharraf.
In a reply submitted to the
court, it said such a move was
not part of its mandate. The
caretaker administration said a
decision on filing treason
charges against Musharraf
should be left to the winner of
the election.
Musharraf was arrested last
week after the Islamabad High
Court revoked his bail in a case
related to the detention of over
60 judges during the 2007
emergency. He returned to
Pakistan last month after nearly
four years of self-exile,
promising to "save" the country
from economic ruin and
militancy.
However, he was barred from
running in the May 11 general
election, which will mark the
first democratic transition of
power in Pakistan's history.

 

[Argus Panoptes]

Already posted in the main sticki thread Sir:

More charges against Gen Musharraf?

Musharraf to be made part of Benazir murder probe, orders court | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

Musharraf to be made part of Benazir murder probe, orders court
DAWN.COM and Agencies

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorist court in Rawalpindi has ordered former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf to be made part of the investigations into former premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

It was the first time on Tuesday that the former military ruler appeared before the anti-terrorist court over Bhutto’s murder.

Musharraf was driven to the court in Rawalpindi from his plush villa on the edge of Islamabad where he is serving a two-week arrest order.

Musharraf is accused of conspiracy to murder Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007. It is one of a barrage of legal cases he is fighting in the courts since returning home last month after four years in self-imposed exile.

Despite a heavy police and paramilitary presence, scuffles broke out between lawyers and Musharraf supporters, who threw stones and beat each other with sticks outside the court building.

About 150 lawyers shouted in protest against the former president, while two dozen supporters chanted “Long live Musharraf!”

“Today it was routine hearing of Benazir murder case and General Musharraf appeared for the first time in this case,” his lawyer Salman Safdar.

Musharraf spent around 15 minutes in court and then another 15 minutes with his lawyer, before being driven back to his Chak Shahzad residence on the outskirts of Islamabad which has been declared as a sub-jail.

The court while adjourning the next hearing of the case until May 3, also ordered for Musharraf to be made part of investigations.

During the hearing, the court issued a notice to the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) and sought a reply from the agency on the next hearing over the petitions submitted by the former military ruler against his declaration as a proclaimed offender and seeking resumption of his frozen assets and bank accounts.

Moreover, Salman Safdar, counsel of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief was allowed to meet the former president, who is under judicial custody at his farmhouse.

Earlier, the ATC had summoned all accused, including the retired general, for the case’s April 23 hearing.

The farmhouse was declared a sub-jail by the anti-terrorist court in Islamabad as it heard the judges’ detention case against the former military strongman.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.

Nobody has been convicted or jailed for Bhutto’s assassination yet.

‘No faith in Supreme Court bench’

Meanwhile, lawyers for the former military strongman argued in the Supreme Court that adding their client’s name to the exit control list was in violation of the Constitution and his fundamental rights.

Musharraf’s counsel Ahmed Raza Kasuri on Tuesday told the apex court that his client had no faith in the Supreme Court bench hearing the treason case against the former military strongman.

Another counsel for Musharraf, Ibrahim Satti, said there was no hint of a case for high treason against his client and therefore the addition of Musharraf’s name on ECL was a violation of his fundamental rights.

Furthermore, Kasuri said his client had no confidence in the apex court bench hearing the treason case against him.

“My client has no faith in the bench hearing the case,” Kasuri said, adding that the Supreme Court should first address the question of formation of a larger bench on the matter or hand the matter over to the full court.

 

[Alpha1]

@Argus Panoptes ok!