QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court in Quetta on Wednesday accepted the application of former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf with regards to exemption from appearance in court in a case pertaining to the murder of former Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

The court, however, expressed anger over the performance of Director General Balochistan Naseer Baloch with regards to his slow progress on submitting Musharraf's medical report.

It subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case to Feb 25.

Advocate Sohail Rajput, counsel of Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, confronted Musharraf's lawyer Akhtar Shah outside the court and said that the latter was ready to fly to Saudi Arabia which required travelling for four hours, but he was reluctant to travel for one hour to arrive in Quetta.

"Musharraf is deliberately not appearing in the court," Rajput said.

Musharraf's counsel told reporters that his client respects the court and wanted to appear before it but he couldn't due to security concerns.

Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, who also appeared in court today, spoke to media representatives after the hearing and said that the implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) was important for ensuring peace in the country.

Also read: ATC indicts Musharraf in Akbar Bugti murder case

Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in an operation in Balochistan's rugged mountains of Taratani in Kohlu district on August 26, 2006. Bugti's son Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti had nominated former President Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Governor Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and others in the murder of his father.

Bugti had led an armed campaign to press for provincial autonomy and a greater share of profits from Balochistan’s natural resources.

The death of the Baloch chieftain had sparked angry protests in parts of the country.

Musharraf is on bail in four other major cases linked to his time in power including the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack.