Benazir murder case: ATC declares Musharraf a proclaimed offender

Musharraf knew his arrest warrants were issued and has disappeared to avoid arrest.

RAWALPINDI: An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi declared former President General (r) Pervez  Musharraf proclaimed offender in the Benazir Bhutto murder case on Monday.

ATC Judge Rana Nishar Khan declared the former president proclaimed offender while hearing the case inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Inquiry officer Khalid Rasool informed the court that Musharraf knew that his arrest warrants were issued and has now disappeared to avoid arrest.

The court was told that British Home Department had officially refused to hand over Musharraf due to an absence of an extradition treaty between the two countries.

The next hearing of the case will take place on June 11.

Earlier in the month, the ATC had condemned the FIA on the lack of implementation on the arrest warrant of former President Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Sources said that no progress was made on Musharraf’s arrest warrant despite repeated reminders to the Pakistani High Commission in Britain.

The court had said that Musharraf will be declared an absconder in case of non-compliance of the court order.

In April, the court summoned Wajid Zia, the chief of the joint investigation team (JIT) to seek details about the delay in serving the arrest warrants of Musharraf.

The hearing of the case had been adjourned till May 21.

The non-bailable arrests warrants of Musharraf have been issued thrice by the court for the same case, but no action has been taken so far.

The former president is allegedly involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Despite being aware of the imminent danger to her life, he did not take the requisite security measures to prevent her assassination, according to the findings of a 57-page report submitted earlier before the court.