An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday ordered that former military dictator Pervez Musharraf be made part of the probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The order was passed in the presence of the former army chief who got his second outing since imprisonment on Friday.
During the hearing in Rawalpindi, the court also sought a reply from the federal authorities on General (retd) Musharraf’s application for unfreezing his bank accounts and assets. In March, a similar request made by his wife, Sehba Musharraf, had been turned down by the court.
Gen. Musharraf’s court appearance proved to be a rough ride as lawyers opposed to him clashed with his supporters.
Agitating lawyers have become a permanent feature of all his court appearances as the legal fraternity remains agitated over his decision to detain 60 superior judges in 2007. The successful lawyers’ movement that followed has made the legal fraternity more vociferous though increasingly eyebrows are being raised over their strong-arm tactics.
On Monday, the federal government told the Supreme Court that it would not prosecute General Musharraf for treason for subverting the Constitution on the premise that invoking Article 6 was outside the mandate of the caretaker dispensation. “It is likely to become a controversial exercise in long-term for both political parties and institutions of the state and, therefore, it should be best left for the elected government [to decide],’’ the government said in its reply.
