A Pakistani court on Thursday declared former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi also directed to forfeit the property of the former military ruler.
The ATC has sentenced former Rawalpindi City Police Offer Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town Superintendent Police Khurram Shahzad to 17 years in prison, and fined them Rs 5,00,000 each. Both police officers have been arrested.
Furthermore, the court released the other five suspects over lack of evidence against them who were nabbed in this case. The five suspects — allegedly affiliated with Taliban — namely Rafaqat, Hasnain, Rasheed Ahmed, Sher Zaman and Aitzaz Shah were set free.
The ATC had on Wednesday reserved the judgement in the murder case of Beanzir Bhutto — a two-time Prime Minister. ATC Rawalpindi heard the case during which prosecutor of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Khawaja Asif and the lawyers of the suspects presented their arguments.
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 while Mr Musharraf was the President. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.
A trial of five suspects, who were arrested by police, started in February 2008 which was later handed over to FIA.
The ATC had indicted former president Pervez Musharraf in the case in February 2011, and in August the same year he was declared a proclaimed offender. A separate case was filed against his continuous absence.
Benazir Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Bhutto said that there will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes. She tweeted that they were waiting for justice for the past 10 years. “Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mother’s murder roam free,” Aseefa Bhutto said.
