Bugti murder case: Anti-terrorism court rejects Musharraf’s exemption plea

Orders former president, others to appear in court for Dec 24 hearing.

QUETTA:

Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Mohammad Anwar Kasi at Quetta has rejected former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s plea, requesting exemption from appearing in the hearing of Akbar Bugti murder case.

Musharraf was nominated by Jamil Bugti, son of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti, in the FIR about the murder case of the former chief minister and governor of Balochistan.

The court ordered former president Musharraf and the other accused to appear for the next date of hearing on December 24.

Musharraf’s lawyer had filed request that his client cannot attend the hearings for security reasons, as there is a serious threat to his life in Quetta.

Earlier, Jamil Bugti’s counsel had told the court that Musharraf had never been attacked in Balochistan.

ATC had declared the former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former Balochistan governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and former district coordination officer of Dera Bugti Abdul Samad Lasi the fugitives. None of them have ever attended a hearing in Quetta, the lawyer told the court.

The co-accused, including the former federal interior minister Aftab Sherpao and the former Balochistan home minister Shoaib Nosherwani had appeared before the court and the ATC judge had reserved the verdict on their request to grant them bail.

The Balochistan government and most of the political parties have demanded that the federal government should bring all nominated accused to justice, which would help in restoring normalcy in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2013.