Benazir Bhutto murder trial: Former Pak President Pervez Musharraf declared absconder

On Thursday, an Anti-Terrorism court awarded 17 years imprisonment for former Director Inspector General Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shehzad for their role in the murder of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has been declared an absconder, while five others have been acquitted in the case.

According to Daily Pakistan, The court also imposed a fine of 5,00,000 Pakistan rupees each on both convicts. The police have arrested the former DIG from premises of the court.

Former two-time premier Bhutto was killed in a gun and bombing attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 when she came out of park after addressing an election rally.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry in his concluding arguments had disowned prosecution evidence of audio record and transcript of telephonic conversation of the former chief of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with a cleric in which he had congratulated five terrorists on carrying out the successful attack on Bhutto.

Chaudhry termed it a “fake story” fabricated by former President retired General Pervez Musharraf to mislead the investigators.