Benazir assassination case: Govt to seek Interpol help to arrest Musharraf

Court demands former president’s presence on April 2.

RAWALPINDI:

Pakistan will ask for Interpol’s help in arresting former president Pervez Musharraf, a public prosecutor told reporters on Saturday outside a jail where Benazir Bhutto’s assassination case is being heard.

During the hearing at the Adiala Jail, the public prosecutor is reported to have told the court that the foreign ministry had already sent a letter to the British home office in this regard.

FIA Deputy Director Khalid Rasool said that they had sent several reminders to the British authorities, but were still waiting for their response. Later, Anti Terrorism Court Judge Rana Nasir Ahmed ordered the agency to produce the former president before the court on April 2 and adjourned the case.

Talking to the media outside the jail, Public Prosecutor  Chaudhry Zulfiqar said that although Pakistan had no extradition treaty with the United Kingdom, the country could ask for British assistance for issuing arrest warrants for his arrest on the basis of the Extradition Act of 1971.

“We have not received any report from the British home department yet. We will now approach Interpol to help execute the warrants,” he added

On the previous hearing, FIA had requested the court for more time for arresting the former president. On February 18, the court re-issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Musharraf to be served on him at his London address.

The former president is allegedly involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto because of his failure to provide adequate security.

Musharraf, despite being aware of the imminent danger to Bhutto’s life, did not take the requisite security measures to prevent her assassination, according to a 57-page report submitted earlier before the court.

The FIA has so far submitted three charge-sheets in this case.

The first one was in May last year which held the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan responsible for the assassination. The second was submitted in September 2010. It held former police officials Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad responsible for the murder. The third charge-sheet was submitted in February and it held Musharraf responsible for Bhutto’s murder.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2011.