The trial of former Pakistan President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case began on Tuesday at the anti terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi. A constable entrusted with the complaint from the station house officer after the incident was examined as a witness.
According to special public prosecutor Chaudhury Mohammed Azam, the evidence of the constable Kashif Bashir was completed and so was his cross examination. Four more witnesses, all of them doctors will be examined next week. Two of them had not come to the court on Tuesday. These were the doctors who had conducted autopsies of those who died in the bomb attack when Ms. Bhutto was killed after a public meeting in Rawalpindi in December 2007. They had also treated the injured at that time.
The evidence of local witnesses who are easily available will be recorded before summoning U.S. journalist Mark Siegel, one of the main witnesses in the case who has expressed reservations about coming to Pakistan. There is a proposal to have his testimony via video link but no decision has been taken so far.
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Last week, Gen. Musharraf was charged with murder and criminal conspiracy among eleven charges in the case. He pleaded not guilty and the court granted him exemption from appearing in court after his lawyer made an application that his life was under threat. The trial will resume on September 3.