Friday, April 26, 2013 6:05:53 AM
Musharraf put on remand over Bhutto killing
Pakistani court orders three-day house arrest on ex-army ruler over murder of former PM Benazir Bhutto.
Last Modified: 26 Apr 2013 09:14
Musharraf was first attached to the killing by the Anti-Terrorism Court in February 2011 [Reuters]
A Pakistani court has ordered a three-day house arrest on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the murder of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto more than five years ago, a prosecutor has said.
Musharraf appeared in court on Friday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi for his remand hearing under tight security a day after being formally arrested. He is accused of conspiracy to murder Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007.
"We requested a three-day remand of retired general Pervez Musharraf and judge Chaudhry Habib-ur Rehman gave a three-day remand and adjourned the case until Monday," prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told AFP news agency.
The retired general is already serving a two-week house arrest, set to expire on May 4, for sacking judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007 and will serve the fresh order concurrently.
Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, said: "His lawyers have said the former military ruler did not act alone, he had collaborators and abettors.
The court wants to see them, our correspondent said.
"But that would be tantamount to opening a pandora’s box so close to an election, which is just two weeks away."
"It will be the responsibility of the new elected government to deal with this important issue.
"He has admirers no doubt. Many of the powerful political parties were all on board with the former military ruler."
Musharraf would remain at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse residence in the capital, which has been converted into a jub-jail.
Since his return to Pakistan in a bid to contest the 2013 general election, Musharraf has been dealing with a number of legal cases against him, including the detention of judges and treason.
He is also barred from running in next month's general election on May 11 and has been threatened with death by the Taliban.
Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007, while Musharraf was president.
She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.
The ATC (Anti-Terrorism Court) had indicted Musharraf in the case in February 2011, and in August the same year he was declared a proclaimed offender and his property was attached because of his absence.
Musharraf's government blamed Bhutto's killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. Mahsud was killed in a US drone attack in August 2009.
Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/04/2013425151713444188.html
See also:
TIMELINE: Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=25579468
HOUSE OF GRAFT: Tracing the Bhutto Millions -- A special report.; Bhutto Clan Leaves Trail of Corruption
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=25625324
As Pakistan prepares for crucial election, the Taliban turn to force to squeeze liberals out of power
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=87185340
======
Profile: Pervez Musharraf
Background on the Pakistani leader who rose to the top
of the political establishment and then fell into exile.
Last Modified: 24 Mar 2013 07:28
The return of former President Pervez Musharraf to Pakistan is the latest development in a decade that has seen him fall from the top of his country's political and security establishment into a quiet life in exile.
Musharraf was born in Delhi in 1943 to parents who fled to Pakistan four years later, shortly before partition. He rose through the ranks of the Pakistani army, eventually being named chief of staff in 1998 under then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He seized power in a coup just one year later, ushering in a period of military rule which would last until 2002. He rebranded himself president after elections that year, and remained in office until 2008, when he was forced out by opposition parties.
The defining event of his years in power was, of course, the September 11 attacks on the United States, after which Musharraf declared himself a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush's "war on terror."
He allowed the US and NATO to transfer war materiel into Afghanistan via Pakistan. And he clashed openly with armed groups in 2007, when he ordered Pakistani security forces to storm the Red Mosque and Islamic school in Islamabad.
Musharraf accused the mosque's clerics and students of waging an increasingly aggressive campaign to enforce strict shari'a law in the capital. More than 100 people were killed in the ensuing siege.
Fighting in the country's northern tribal regions escalated following the controversial mosque seizure, and suicide bombings became more common in Pakistan's cities.
Still, by the end of his tenure, Musharraf had lost some of his popularity in the West, where he was often criticised for failing to prevent fighters from trickling back and forth across the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Clashes with judiciary
He had lost far more of his domestic popularity by the time he was forced out of office.
Musharraf first called for general elections in 2002, in accordance with a supreme court ruling, and his party won by a wide margin.
The next few years were marked by insecurity, worsening relations with neighbouring India, and a stagnant economy; despite strong macroeconomic gains of around 7 percent, few benefits trickled down to the masses.
President Musharraf clashed frequently with the judiciary, most notably in 2007, when he suspended the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and declared a state of emergency.
The court had been due to rule on a case which could have disqualified Musharraf from the upcoming election, because he had refused to resign his post as army chief.
He eventually won another term, but stepped down the following year amidst intense public pressure and a looming impeachment hearing.
After leaving politics, he embarked on a lucrative worldwide speaking tour, then settled in London, and eventually Dubai. He spent the better part of two years vowing to return to Pakistan - but, with little grassroots support, his future is uncertain.
Source:Al Jazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/03/201332463755397572.html
.. it's really puzzling just why Musharraf returned to Pakistan ..
Pakistani court orders three-day house arrest on ex-army ruler over murder of former PM Benazir Bhutto.
Last Modified: 26 Apr 2013 09:14
Musharraf was first attached to the killing by the Anti-Terrorism Court in February 2011 [Reuters]
A Pakistani court has ordered a three-day house arrest on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the murder of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto more than five years ago, a prosecutor has said.
Musharraf appeared in court on Friday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi for his remand hearing under tight security a day after being formally arrested. He is accused of conspiracy to murder Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007.
"We requested a three-day remand of retired general Pervez Musharraf and judge Chaudhry Habib-ur Rehman gave a three-day remand and adjourned the case until Monday," prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told AFP news agency.
The retired general is already serving a two-week house arrest, set to expire on May 4, for sacking judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007 and will serve the fresh order concurrently.
Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, said: "His lawyers have said the former military ruler did not act alone, he had collaborators and abettors.
The court wants to see them, our correspondent said.
"But that would be tantamount to opening a pandora’s box so close to an election, which is just two weeks away."
"It will be the responsibility of the new elected government to deal with this important issue.
"He has admirers no doubt. Many of the powerful political parties were all on board with the former military ruler."
Musharraf would remain at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse residence in the capital, which has been converted into a jub-jail.
Since his return to Pakistan in a bid to contest the 2013 general election, Musharraf has been dealing with a number of legal cases against him, including the detention of judges and treason.
He is also barred from running in next month's general election on May 11 and has been threatened with death by the Taliban.
Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007, while Musharraf was president.
She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city.
The ATC (Anti-Terrorism Court) had indicted Musharraf in the case in February 2011, and in August the same year he was declared a proclaimed offender and his property was attached because of his absence.
Musharraf's government blamed Bhutto's killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. Mahsud was killed in a US drone attack in August 2009.
Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/04/2013425151713444188.html
See also:
TIMELINE: Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=25579468
HOUSE OF GRAFT: Tracing the Bhutto Millions -- A special report.; Bhutto Clan Leaves Trail of Corruption
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=25625324
As Pakistan prepares for crucial election, the Taliban turn to force to squeeze liberals out of power
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=87185340
======
Profile: Pervez Musharraf
Background on the Pakistani leader who rose to the top
of the political establishment and then fell into exile.
Last Modified: 24 Mar 2013 07:28
The return of former President Pervez Musharraf to Pakistan is the latest development in a decade that has seen him fall from the top of his country's political and security establishment into a quiet life in exile.
Musharraf was born in Delhi in 1943 to parents who fled to Pakistan four years later, shortly before partition. He rose through the ranks of the Pakistani army, eventually being named chief of staff in 1998 under then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He seized power in a coup just one year later, ushering in a period of military rule which would last until 2002. He rebranded himself president after elections that year, and remained in office until 2008, when he was forced out by opposition parties.
The defining event of his years in power was, of course, the September 11 attacks on the United States, after which Musharraf declared himself a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush's "war on terror."
He allowed the US and NATO to transfer war materiel into Afghanistan via Pakistan. And he clashed openly with armed groups in 2007, when he ordered Pakistani security forces to storm the Red Mosque and Islamic school in Islamabad.
Musharraf accused the mosque's clerics and students of waging an increasingly aggressive campaign to enforce strict shari'a law in the capital. More than 100 people were killed in the ensuing siege.
Fighting in the country's northern tribal regions escalated following the controversial mosque seizure, and suicide bombings became more common in Pakistan's cities.
Still, by the end of his tenure, Musharraf had lost some of his popularity in the West, where he was often criticised for failing to prevent fighters from trickling back and forth across the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Clashes with judiciary
He had lost far more of his domestic popularity by the time he was forced out of office.
Musharraf first called for general elections in 2002, in accordance with a supreme court ruling, and his party won by a wide margin.
The next few years were marked by insecurity, worsening relations with neighbouring India, and a stagnant economy; despite strong macroeconomic gains of around 7 percent, few benefits trickled down to the masses.
President Musharraf clashed frequently with the judiciary, most notably in 2007, when he suspended the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and declared a state of emergency.
The court had been due to rule on a case which could have disqualified Musharraf from the upcoming election, because he had refused to resign his post as army chief.
He eventually won another term, but stepped down the following year amidst intense public pressure and a looming impeachment hearing.
After leaving politics, he embarked on a lucrative worldwide speaking tour, then settled in London, and eventually Dubai. He spent the better part of two years vowing to return to Pakistan - but, with little grassroots support, his future is uncertain.
Source:Al Jazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/03/201332463755397572.html
.. it's really puzzling just why Musharraf returned to Pakistan ..
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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