Bring Musharraf before us, says Pak Court hearing Bugti case

Islamabad: A Pakistan court on Monday rejected security concerns and directed police to produce former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for the hearing of the murder case of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti on 30 July. Police presented initial chargesheets against Musharraf to the anti-terrorism court in southern-western city of Quetta, saying the former ruler could not be presented due to security threats. [caption id=“attachment_955931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf. AP[/caption] Judge Muhammad Ismail Baloch accepted the chargesheet but rejected concerns about security and ordered police crime branch department to produce the accused on next hearing, said a lawyer. Musharraf has been accused of orchestrating murder of Bugti, the chief of his tribe, who was killed in military operation in 2006 when he was army chief and President of the country. Musharraf has refused to accept the charge of murder saying that Bugti was not killed by the army but died after a mysterious explosion in the cave where he was hiding. The blast reportedly occurred when a team of army officers invited to negotiate Bugti’s surrender entered the mountainous hideouts. All of them were buried alive when the cave collapsed. Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has also been accused in the alleged murder. Musharraf has been detained in his house near Islamabad since April. He faces several criminal cases including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The former president returned in March after about four years of self-imposed exile in London and Dubai. He assumed power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and resigned in 2008 after his supporters were defeated in elections. PTI