ISLAMABAD – An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, on Saturday,confiscated the surety bonds submitted for the former president General(retd) Pervez Musharraf and initiated proceedings against the surety giversafter the ‘proclaimed offender’ failed to appear before court in theBenazir Bhutto murder case.Musharraf has already been declared an absconder by the ATC overnon-appearance before the court. He was named a suspect in the murder bythe plaintiff.
The court resumed the hearings in the trial against the former presidenttoday, and expressed annoyance over the failure of the defendant to submitthe details of his assets to the court.Ordering to confiscate two suretybonds of Rs1 million each by the former military ruler, the court adjournedthe hearing until February 20.
At a previous hearing, the ATC had given Musharraf’s surety givers NazirAhmed and Mumtaz Hussain a final warning with regards to submitting to thecourt details regarding the assets of the former president.
The court had also issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency(FIA) in this regard.Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif AliZardari had challenged a decision of an anti-terrorism court in the BenazirBhutto murder case, demanding capital punishment for all those accused,including Musharraf last year.
On August 31, the ATC acquitted five alleged operatives of the outlawedTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for want of evidence over assassination ofBenazir in a gun and suicide attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.
The court had declared the then city police officer (CPO), Saud Aziz, andthe then superintendent of police (SP), Khurram Shahzad, as facilitators inthe crime and slapped each of them with a 17-year jail term and a fine ofRs10m.
It also declared Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered confiscationof his properties.