Try Musharraf for abuses: Amnesty

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf deserves a fair trial but should be held accountable for rampant abuses, Amnesty International (AI) said on Tuesday, according to UPI.

Musharraf was scheduled to appear before a court on Tuesday to face charges he was tied to the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Amnesty said the former military general faces a number of other charges for human rights abuses committed during his 10-year rule over Pakistan.

UPI cited Polly Truscott, AI’s deputy Asia-Pacific director, as saying in a statement “hundreds, if not thousands” of people inexplicably disappeared during Musharraf’s tenure. He is also accused of silencing independent media and his judicial critics.

“It is encouraging to see the courts take the unprecedented step of bringing a former army chief to account for his alleged involvement in past human rights violations and crimes under international law,” she said. “But Musharraf must be held accountable for all violations committed under his rule, not just a select few.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2013.