General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. File photo.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday postponed the indictment of Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto murder case until August 20 after the former dictator failed to appear before the judge “for security reasons.”
Mr Musharraf, summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and failing to provide security for the former prime minister, was not brought to court in Rawalpindi because of threats to his life.
Police and Mr. Musharraf’s lawyer told Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman that it was unsafe to bring the former military ruler to court because of the threats.
Mr. Rehman adjourned the hearing of the charge sheet until August 20 and ordered the police to ensure Mr. Musharraf’s presence at the next hearing.
If convicted, Musharraf, 69, could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Ms Bhutto was assassinated shortly after an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
Mr Musharraf, who was then president, blamed her murder on Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in 2009.
The former military ruler has been held in his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad since his arrest in April following threats from the Taliban.
He returned to Pakistan in March after living in exile for about five years to take part in the general elections in May. However, a Pakistani court banned him from participating in public opinion polls for the rest of his life.
Mr Musharraf also faces charges of killing Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and of taking unconstitutional steps by imposing a state of emergency and sacking judges in 2007.
Published – Aug 6, 2013 4:23 pm EST.