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Sadichchha Pokharel,
Correspondent (Asia: South)

 

RAWALPINDI — Former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, has been charged with the murder of ex-Prime Minister and political opponent Benazir Bhutto. A Pakistani anti-terrorism court made the unprecedented prosecution last Tuesday accusing the military leader of murder, conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder.

Benazir Bhutto

Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack in December 2007 during a political campaign rally in Rawalpindi, the same city where the hearings were made last week. She was killed just weeks after returning to Pakistan after several years of self-imposed exile, under an agreement made with the then president, Musharraf, that she would be allowed to take part in the 2008 elections. Her murder had caused a huge furore across the country.

Along with Musharraf, four other militants and two senior police officers have also been accused of the crime. This is an unexpected and extraordinary move in a conservative South Asian country such as Pakistan where top military people and those in powerful positions are often treated above the law.

Pakistan is adjusting to the new government run by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after decades of military rule. Sharif was previously overthrown by Musharraf and sentenced to lifetime imprisonment in a 1999 coup. He eventually got out of prison and was sent to exile, and Musharraf took control of the country and ruled for nine years, after which he was voted out. Then he left the country and lived in Dubai and London on a self-imposed exile for nearly four years before returning for elections in May, earlier this year. However, he was disqualified from participating and instead was caught up in charges from his previous rule. Cases include serious issues such as the murder of Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006 and charges of treason. Musharraf has been kept under a house arrest.

There was tight security in Rawalpindi, with hundreds of policemen on the route leading to court and on rooftops. Journalists were not allowed in the courtroom and the hearing lasted 20 minutes. The previous hearing, scheduled for August 6, had been delayed due to life threats to Musharraf. The Pakistani Taliban has on several occasions threatened to kill the ex-leader. Musharraf made no pubic statement but denied the accusation in court. According to his lawyer Syeda Afshan Adil, the cases have all been fabricated, and there is no evidence against her client. Observers and analysts have stated that chances are very low that Musharraf will be convicted. They believe that it is most likely he will be exiled from the country. However, the indictment itself is a very strong move by the court.

The United Nations commission of inquiry in 2010 blamed Musharraf’s government for not providing enough protection to Bhutto and doing little investigation about her death. The government at the time blamed Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was later killed by a US drone strike in 2009. In his defence, Musharraf claimed that he had advised Bhutto of the dangers to her life. Yet, Bhutto had declared before her death that Musharraf should be held guilty if she was murdered. Security agencies have alerted Musharraf of further threats to his life, and his lawyer has requested the court to exempt him from appearing for future hearings due to safety reasons. The next hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 27.

 

Image Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org 

Sadichchha Pokharel

Sadichchha is a news writer and proofreader at The Global Panorama. She is an undergraduate student at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. Sadi is interested in global health and human rights issues in developing countries, particularly Africa and South Asia. She is into campaigning/social marketing and would like to make a career in the communications for development (C4D) sector. She enjoys reading, writing and travelling.

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