Benazir murder case: Musharraf to be indicted on Aug 6

Published
23

RAWALPINDI: Former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf is to be indicted on August 6 in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi said Tuesday.

Musharraf was also produced amidst tight security during today’s hearing of the case headed by ATC judge Habibur Rahman.

Copies of records pertaining to the case were made available to the former military strongman and he kept a set of the copies after signing the requisite document.

Moreover, Saud Aziz, who was City Police Officer (CPO) of Rawalpindi when Benazir was assassinated on December 27, 2007, and the then SP Khurram Shahzad appeared before the ATC.

The court ordered the authorities to produce the former president at the next hearing of the case, adding that he would be indicted on August 6. The case was subsequently adjourned to the said date.

Following the adjournment, the former president returned to his Chak Shahzad residence, which had been declared sub-jail.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 while Musharraf was president. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.

The ATC had named Musharraf in the case in February 2011, and in August the same year he was declared a proclaimed offender and his property was attached because of his absence.

Meanwhile, the ATC in Rawalpindi also heard the petition seeking the release of Musharraf’s assets and bank accounts.

The court ordered the restoration of the former president's assets after hearing the petition.

Earlier, the ATC had attached the accounts and other moveable and immovable assets of Musharraf in August 2011 after he was declared a proclaimed offender for his repeated absence in the Benazir murder case in which he is an accused.

In related news, the Balochistan High Court rejected Musharraf’s bail application in the Akber Bugti murder case.

A two-member bench of the Balochistan High Court, comprising Justice Naeem Afghan and Justice Mustafa Mengal, heard the case.

Opinion

Editorial

Genuine governance
10 Aug, 2026

Genuine governance

ON the surface, the Punjab cabinet’s decision to allocate funds for local government elections is a welcome step...
Failed by the state
10 Aug, 2026

Failed by the state

THE 1,914 cases of child abuse across Pakistan in the first six months of 2026 should spark outrage. The figure ...
HIV crisis
10 Aug, 2026

HIV crisis

PAKISTAN’s presence among countries with the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in Asia is a matter of shame. Globally,...
Makkah agreement
Updated 09 Aug, 2026

Makkah agreement

IN the midst of a gruelling war between the US and Iran — currently at a stalemate — the signing of the Makkah...
Conflicting priorities
09 Aug, 2026

Conflicting priorities

THERE is a reasonable argument that the democratic process must go on regardless of prevailing conditions; that...
FIFA controversy
09 Aug, 2026

FIFA controversy

FIFA PRESIDENT Gianni Infantino is at the centre of a storm of his own making. Even after a crisis meeting in...