Musharraf on murder charges over Benazir Bhutto’s slaying
RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN— In an unprecedented ruling that tests the military’s aura of inviolability, a court Tuesday indicted former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf on murder charges stemming from the 2007 assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, pleaded not guilty.
The decision by the court in Rawalpindi marked the first time a current or former army chief has been charged with a crime in the country.
Musharraf, a 70-year-old former commando who took power in a 1999 coup and stepped down from office in disgrace nearly a decade later, now faces a string of legal problems that in many ways challenge the military’s sacrosanct status in Pakistani society.
He was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation for murder, said prosecutor Chaudhry Muhammed Azhar. The charges also include clearing the scene of a crime and destroying evidence.
He did not detail the accusations against Musharraf, but prosecutors have alleged he failed to provide enough protection to Bhutto as she led her Pakistan People’s Party in a parliamentary election that might have given her a third term as prime minister. She was killed in a gun and bomb attack at a rally in Rawalpindi.
Bhutto’s assassination set off protests across the country and helped propel her party to power in parliament and her husband to the presidency.
Bhutto’s supporters say Musharraf ignored requests for additional security, and a 2010 UN report on her death said he failed to make serious efforts to ensure Bhutto’s safety.
The court also harshly criticized investigators for hosing down the crime scene, failing to perform an autopsy and quickly blaming a Taliban commander for the assassination.
The prosecutor said he has a list of 148 witnesses and documents, including a note Bhutto sent to a close friend complaining that Musharraf was not providing her with proper security.
The judge set Aug. 27 as the next court date to present evidence. Pakistan court cases can drag on for years, and convictions are often overturned on appeal.
Analysts questioned whether the evidence would be sufficient.
“To me, it would be very difficult to prove unless they can show an order by him,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, an independent political analyst. “You can’t really get hold of a president simply because security was not adequate.”