Benazir children say court ruling disappointing

Rawalpindi, Aug. 31: Children of late Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto were disappointed with court verdict in the case of their mother’s assassination. Bhutto’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who now heads her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), tweeted that the decision was “disappointing & unacceptable”, and the release of “terrorists” was “not only unjust but dangerous”. He vowed the party would explore legal options.

“There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!” Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted moments after the cour’s announcement.

A Pakistani court on Thursday branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s murder trial, but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination.

The verdicts are the first to be issued since Ms Bhutto, the first female Prime Minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil. The judge also found two police officers guilty of “mishandling the crime scene”, the court official said, making them the only people to have been convicted over the assassination.

Former President and military ruler Mr Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed. He has denied the allegation. He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf (above) answers for his crimes, Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted after verdict

Bhutto’s son Bilawal said that the release of ‘terrorists’ in the case was dangerous