Bugti murder case: Pervez Musharraf fails to appear before court

Karachi: Pakistan’s former military dictator Pervez Musharraf on Monday failed to appear before an anti-terrorism court in a case relating to the 2006 murder of elderly Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, citing poor health. The court in Quetta had specifically directed the 71-year-old former President to appear in person but Musharraf, who is in Karachi, did not turn up. [caption id=“attachment_1702457” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. AP[/caption] Musharraf’s lawyer told reporters that his client was not keeping good health and could not travel to Quetta for the hearing. “We have also requested the court to hold a separate hearing for this case,” Nazeer Ahmed Cheema said. While Musharraf did not appear for the hearing, two of his guarantors – former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and former home minister Balochistan Shoaib Nowsherwani — appeared before the court today. Judge of ATC-1 Nazeer Ahmed Langove subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case until 13 October. Strict security measures were put in by the administration to avert any untoward incident during today’s hearing. Bugti, 79, a high-profile tribal elder and politician from the troubled Balochistan province was killed in August 2006 near Dera Bugti when security forces carried out an operation in the area during Musharraf’s tenure. Bugti’s son Jamil Akbar Bugti has nominated Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and others in the murder case of his father. Since Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March last year, he has faced prosecution in four major cases, including one in which he has been indicted on high treason charges and another for his alleged involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Musharraf was indicted on 31 March in the treason trial for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing an emergency in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts. The former president, who is the first military ruler in Pakistan’s history to be tried in court, has rejected all the charges leveled against him. PTI