Bhutto assassination case: Musharraf declared absconder

Islamabad: Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been declared an absconder, in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.

The court has, in its verdict, acquitted five accused while 2 have been sentenced to prison while delivering its verdict in a decade-old-case regarding assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister.

The anti-terrorism court gave its judgment in the case, registered just after her assassination on December 27, 2007. The verdict is expected against five militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group and two senior police officers.

It is to be recalled that the former two-time premier Bhutto was killed in a gun and bombing attack in Rawalpindi a decade ago while she was on her way back after addressing an election rally.

The trial went through many ups and downs and the ATC Judge Asghar Ali Khan who heard the case in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail had reserved the judgment after conducting day-to-day hearing going on since Monday.

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According to the Pak media reports, the trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf who was the president when Bhutto was killed and who has been accused will be held separately on his return to Pakistan.

The suspects:

• The case had five suspects Rafaqat Hussain, Hasnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid.
• They were arrested soon after the assassination and have been in jail.
• Then Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and SSP Khurram Shehzad are also among the accused. Both were arrested initially but released on bail in 2011.
• All accused will be present at the time of announcement of trial.
• The five suspects were arrested in January 2008, while Musharraf, Aziz and Shehzad were implicated in 2009 after fresh probe by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

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The case was heard by eight different judges during this period. The judges were changed due to different reasons.