BHC ruling: Plea to transfer Bugti murder case rejected

The administration has promised to take every possible step to protect the accused.

QUETTA:

The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Saturday dismissed a petition filed by former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf seeking transfer of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder case to Islamabad. On the other hand, the Balochistan government, which had earlier filed a request to move the case to Islamabad, on the pretext of security concerns, has withdrawn its request and stated that it can provide necessary security to the former president during the course of the case’s hearing.

During the hearing, public prosecutor Sultan Mehmood withdrew the request to transfer the case and assured that the former president would receive full protection and that every possible measure would be taken by the provincial government in this regard.

He apprised the court that the interim provincial government had submitted the request to move the case to Islamabad, owing to security concerns, however, the elected government later decided to withdraw the request.

Musharraf’s counsel Ilyas Siddiqui told the bench that his client had received many death threats and several attempts had been made on his life.

However, Nawabzada Jamil Bugti’s lawyer Sohail Ahmed Rajput argued that the petition filed by the accused had no status and was ‘contradictory to the law’.

He added that the authority of the high court to transfer the case was limited only within the province.

After hearing the arguments, the bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, dismissed the petition to transfer the case to Islamabad.

In his short judgment, the chief justice observed that the provision of protection to the nominated accused is the responsibility of the government.

Veteran Baloch nationalist leader and former chief minister Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed on August 26, 2006, during a military operation that was allegedly ordered by the then president and army chief Pervez Musharraf.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2013.