Page 10 of 15 FirstFirst ... 89101112 ... LastLast
Results 91 to 100 of 149

Thread: Former Prime Minister Of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, Assassinated

  1. #91
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Musharraf will not comply with Pakistan warrant

    http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-...2/-/4hm5g3z/-/

    By AFP
    Posted Saturday, February 12 2011 at 13:52

    Former president Pervez Musharraf will not comply with a warrant for his arrest issued by a court in Pakistan over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, his spokesman in London said Saturday.

    "No, he won't be going back for this hearing," Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesman for Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League party, told AFP, adding that the warrant was "totally ridiculous."

    A Pakistani anti-terrorism court earlier Saturday ordered Musharraf, who is currently in self-imposed exile in London, to appear for a hearing on February 19 over claims about the assassination of ex-premier Bhutto in 2007.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  2. #92
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Arrest Warrant for Pakistan's Ex-President

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_1...36-503543.html

    February 12, 2011 8:13 AM

    ISLAMABAD - An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has issued a warrant for the arrest of the country's former president, General Pervez Musharraf in connection with the 2007 killing of the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in a move that potentially reopens a bitter chapter from the country's troubled political history.

    Musharraf, a close ally of former U.S. President George W Bush, has lived in exile since 2008, dividing his time between the U.K. and Dubai, after he resigned to avoid a parliamentary impeachment by newly-elected politicians.

    Bhutto, a westernized liberal politician, was killed in a 2007 gun and grenade attack, right after she emerged from a high profile political rally in Rawalpindi, the main suburb of Islamabad, ahead of the country's national elections.

    Mohammad Ali Saif, a Pakistani barrister and a member of Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML,) confirmed the arrest warrant to CBS News, and said that it appeared to be built on a political vendetta launched by President Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's husband, and Pakistan's prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

    "The case has no legal basis. It is just a political drama, a vendetta," Saif said.

    A senior Pakistan government official said the warrant was issued on the basis of findings by the main federal police, known as the FIA or Federal Investigation Agency.

    "The FIA found enough evidence to recommend General Musharraf's arrest so that he is presented in court" said the government official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.

    An initial investigation right after Bhutto's killing noted the involvement of Baitullah Mehsud, a notorious Taliban militant, for having put together a conspiracy to carry out the attack.

    "In the past, our leaders have been telling us, the killing of Benazir Bhutto was done by Baitullah Mehsud. Suddenly, where does President Musharraf fit in to the picture? This sounds quite questionable," Saif told CBS News.

    Musharraf himself has repeatedly refuted claims that either he or the army or the intelligence services had any involvement in Bhutto's killing. But a report by a United Nations appointed commission of inquiry made public last year said the possibility of the involvement of Pakistan's military and security establishment could not be ruled out.

    While the case surrounding Musharraf will have little immediate bearing on Pakistan's relations with the outside world, notably the U.S., western diplomats in Islamabad warned that any further acrimony surrounding the country's politics will be looked at with further concern by the Obama administration.

    "Bitter political infighting in Pakistan will of course be of concern to the US, just at a time when the US is trying to establish closer relations with Pakistan" said one senior western diplomat who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. "Every time the matter of President Musharraf becomes a high profile issue, there are some in Pakistan who remember the undemocratic character of his military regime and the backing he received from the U.S. Ultimately, this feeds in to anti-U.S. sentiment which is already strong in Pakistan."

    Meanwhile, in a case related to anti-US sentiment in Pakistan, watched with interest from Washington, a second Pakistan government official on Saturday confirmed that Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister, dropped on Friday from a newly-appointed cabinet, left the government "amid irreconcilable differences on relations with the U.S."

    Speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity, the official revealed that differences between Qureshi and key leaders (notably Zardari and Gilani) widened when Qureshi refused to allow the foreign ministry to certify that Raymond Davis, a U.S. official arrested in Pakistan following his killing of two Pakistani men last month, was a serving US diplomat.

    While U.S. officials have claimed that Davis was a serving diplomat and therefore armed with diplomatic immunity from prosecution, Pakistani officials refuse to accept the U.S. view. On Friday, a Pakistani judge in the city of Lahore ordered Davis to be sent to prison for two weeks to await a trial.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  3. #93
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Pakistan court issues a non-bailable warrant for Pervez Musharraf

    http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report...harraf_1506751

    2/11/2011

    Days after former president Pervez Musharraf was made an accused in the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, a non-bailable arrest warrant was today issued against him to secure his presence in the court to stand trial.

    Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed Khan of the Pakistani anti-terrorism court, conducting the trial of five suspects charged with involvement in Benazir's assassination, issued the warrant Musharraf.

    The court made the move after Chaudhry Zulfiqar, the prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency, argued that Musharraf should be declared an absconder for failing to cooperate in the investigation into the assassination.

    The court directed Musharaf to appear before it at the next hearing on February 19.

    But, Musharraf's legal advisor Muhammad Ali Saif told PTI there was "no possibility" of the former President appearing in court and said the court's decision to issue a warrant was "politically-motivated".

    Prosecutors told the court that further progress in investigating Bhutto's assassination was not possible without Musharraf's presence.

    They said they had tried repeatedly to contact Musharraf but he had refused to cooperate.

    They also said he should be declared a wanted fugitive if he did not appear for the next hearing.

    The judge also considered statements by former Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema and former Intelligence Bureau chief Ejaz Shah, who said they had acted on Musharraf's instructions in matters related to the
    assassination.

    Cheema has told investigators that he was acting on Musharraf's instructions when he announced at a news conference shortly after the assassination that the Taliban were behind the killing.

    The FIA had named Musharraf as an "absconder" earlier this week for failing to cooperate with investigators.

    Talking to reporters shortly after the court issued the warrant, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government would provide any sort of cooperation that was requested by the court.

    "We will provide whatever help the court wants. We can even contact the Interpol (regarding Musharraf)," she said.

    "It is up to the court to decide what sort of intervention or support it wants," Awan added.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  4. #94
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    US ignored Bhutto's plea for evaluation of security: WikiLeaks

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/8496209.cms

    21 May, 2011, 11.24PM IST,PTI

    NEW DELHI: Just two months before she was killed in a terror attack, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had approached then US Ambassador in Islamabad asking for help to evaluate her personal security but it was ignored, latest WikiLeaks cables have revealed.

    Bhutto handed over a written request to US Ambassador Anne W Patterson two months before she was killed asking her to carry out an evaluation of the security because she feared for her life, say the WikiLeaks cables, accessed by news channel NDTV.

    The cables reveal that the US chose to look the other way, suggesting that Benazir should work constructively with General Pervez Musharraf's government -- the same organisation that Benazir insisted was out to kill her.

    Benazir made the request to the US Ambassador immediately after a terror strike killed more than 130 people at a rally organized by the Pakistan Peoples Party on October 18, 2007 in Karachi. The rally was organised to welcome her after her eight years' exile in Dubai and London.

    According to the cables, Bhutto told the US Ambassador that she did not believe that the Pakistan Government was giving the security that she needed and she was under severe threat.

    Suspecting Musharraf administration's hand in Karachi attack, Bhutto also complained of shoddy Pakistan Government probe into Karachi terror strike, it said.

    But Anne Patterson , whatever reasons, decided not to do that, it said.

    Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, after departing a party rally in Rawalpindi , two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  5. #95
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Benazir Bhutto assassination case: Anti-terrorism court to indict seven offenders

    http://tribune.com.pk/story/236149/b...ven-offenders/

    By Mudassir Raja
    Published: August 21, 2011

    An anti-terrorism court is likely to formally indict seven accused men in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case on August 27, the next date of hearing.

    The court will formally initiate the trial of Hasnain Gul, Rafaqat Hussain, Abdul Rasheed, Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, former city police officer Rawalpindi Saud Aziz, and former SP Khurram Shahzad for their alleged role in the murder of the former premier outside the historic Liaquatabad Bagh on December 27, 2007.

    Special Judge Shahid Rafique was informed on Saturday that the prosecution had provided certified copies of investigation reports, legal documents and incriminating evidence to the lawyers of the seven accused facing the trial. The two police officers’ lawyers had been demanding copies of the statements of all police officers and politicians accompanying Bhutto to prepare their defence.

    The court directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reinvestigating the case in the light of the UN commission inquiry report to send a last rejoinder to the GHQ and DHA authorities for details of former president Pervez Musharraf’s property, who is cited as a proclaimed offender in the case. The court will formally attach Musharraf’s movable and immovable assets and issue perpetual warrants for his arrest.

    The FIA has accused Hasnain and Rafaqat with providing residence and transport to the suicide bomber, Rasheed Ahmed for being a part of the conspiracy and Aitzaz Shah, a minor and Sher Zaman for concealing the murder plot. Saud Aziz is accused of destroying vital evidence after the terror attack by hosing down the crime scene and not allowing Bhutto’s postmortem. SP Khurram is also accused of destroying evidence at the crime scene. Musharraf is accused of threatening Bhutto with dire consequences if she returned to Pakistan and of trying to influence the post murder investigation by arranging a premature press conference.

    The court has already declared former TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and six other activists as proclaimed offenders.

    In a related development, the court directed the administration of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) to award Rasheed Ahmed with the medal and certificate on the next date of hearing in Adiala jail for his performance in the secondary school certificate examination.

    Rasheed alias Abdul Rasheed Turabi had obtained 848 out of 1050 marks. His lawyer informed the court that he stood third in the BISE among the boys in the humanities group but the jail authorities did not allow him to go to the BISE office to receive his award.

    An official appeared in the court on Saturday and said the boy was formally invited but he was not taken to the ceremony for security reasons.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  6. #96
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Musharraf's assets' seizure ordered

    http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail...eizure-ordered

    8/27/2011

    RAWALPINDI: Anti-terrorist court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has ordered authorities to take control of former president Pervez Musharraf’s tangible assets i.e. property, bank accounts, etc. in Benazir Bhutto murder case, Geo News reported Saturday.

    The decision was made after a FIA report containing information regarding the assets of the former president was presented before the court.

    FIA officials informed the court that Musharraf owned a farmhouse in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad and a plot in the Gwadar Housing Society, while his bank accounts are worth Rs80.90 million at the moment.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  7. #97
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Pakistani court orders confiscation of Musharraf's assets

    http://news.xinhuanet.com/english201..._131078886.htm

    English.news.cn 2011-08-27 21:55:51

    ISLAMABAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- An Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan Saturday ordered confiscation of property of former President Pervez Musharraf for his failure to appear before the court in the 2007 murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, court officials said.

    The court has already declared Pervez Musharraf as an " absconder" in the assassination case of Benazir Bhutto as he has not agreed to clarify his position in court despite several notices.

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had requested the court to summon Pervez Musharraf who was President at the time of the assassination, but he had refused a request to cooperate in the investigation into Bhutto's death.

    Following the lack of cooperation by Musharraf, he was named as an "absconding accused", FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar said.

    The FIA on Saturday presented a final report in the court about Pervez Musharraf's refusal to appear and the court issued orders to confiscate property of the former president. Local media reported that the court has also ordered to freeze Musharraf's bank accounts.

    The court ruled that the trial of Musharraf will be started separately from other accused and after he is arrested.

    The anti-terrorism court is conducting the trial of five terror suspects including alleged members of the Tehrik-e- Taliban Pakistan who have been charged with planning and facilitating the assassination.

    Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber shortly after she addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

    The chargesheet further said that former Rawalpindi Police chief Saud Aziz and former Superintendent of Police Khurram Shahzad, who were arrested this year by the FIA on charges of negligence in providing security to Bhutto, were acting on the orders of Musharraf. Both former police officers were bailed out and are now being tried in the case.

    The FIA's charge against Musharraf is one of a long list of legal and criminal cases against the former president who resigned in August 2008 and it could cause problems for his planned return to Pakistani politics.

    Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Britain since April 2009, said that he planned to return to Pakistan before the next general election in 2013.

    He has also formed a new party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, with an eye to the next polls.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  8. #98
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Beating around the bush

    http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/13/beati...-the-bush.html

    by Irfan Waheed on January 13th, 2012

    Soon after President Pervez Musharraf was forced out of office in August 2008, he went into self-imposed exile. Since then, the government has had abundant time to build a case against him. They had an embarrassment of riches to choose from in terms of preparing a case against him. Despite all that, all they have to show for their efforts is this:

    In May 2011, a Rawalpindi court declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a Proclaimed Offender in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case.

    In October 2011, a Quetta court issued an arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf over the killing of Akbar Bugti.

    Hardly something to strike fear in the heart of a former commando.

    As Musharraf muses over his homecoming date, Interior minister Rehman Malik has attempted to deter him from returning with the threat of a ‘possible arrest’. Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan has been more direct, stating that Musharraf will be arrested from the airport when he returns.

    Even if he is jailed on arrival, there is a good chance he would be released. Mrs Musharraf has already challenged the court order declaring him a proclaimed offender.

    One gets the feeling that Musharraf is not losing any sleep over these threats.

    In fact, in a sign of the political savvy he has acquired in his exile years, he has declared that the cases against him don’t “stand on any solid legs at all.” He also added that “these are politicised cases and I have no responsibility in the two major cases.”

    This rhetoric rings a bell. Both the PPP and PML (N) have consistently dismissed all cases against them as being political in nature. Not only have these parties thrived, they have also entered the corridors of power. In mimicking their rhetoric, Musharraf has taken a leaf out of their book. Perhaps he is holding out hope to mirror their political fortunes as well.

    Government officials whose views are of any consequence at all seem to be conveniently ignoring the 500 pound gorilla in the room: Article 6. Musharraf suspended the constitution twice; and even though he got legal cover for his first indiscretion, the second offence has been conveniently deposited in the dustbin of history.

    All this despite the fact that in July 2009, the Supreme Court had declared Musharraf’s Proclamation of Emergency (issued November 3. 2007) as being “un-constitutional, ultra-vires of the Constitution and consequently being illegal.” Mindful of the limits of its jurisdiction, the Supreme Court turned down a request to try Musharraf for treason, as the responsibility lies with parliament to decide whether to lay such charges.

    In the presence of the aforementioned Supreme Court judgment, one wonders why the government does not develop a consensus to hold Musharraf to account for his actions in the fateful fall of 2007. Musharraf himself has admitted to the fact that his act was unconstitutional. In an interview with the BBC in November 2007, he is quoted as saying:

    “Have I done anything constitutionally illegal? Yes, I did it on 3 November.”

    The disturbing reality is that the Pakistani state has degenerated to the point that the power brokers use the law only to settle scores. But even if one assumes that the powers-that-be are adopting such a diabolical approach, it still stands to reason that one should (mis)use the law which gives the best chance to pin down one’s opponent. In the light of the July 2009 judgment and Musharraf’s statement quoted above, the government’s reluctance to initiate Article 6 proceedings against him defies logic.

    Perhaps there is more to this saga than meets the eye. Or maybe we are seeing a manifestation of a theory put forth by Benjamin Franklin when he said: “Laws too gentle, are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.”

    Democracy is not a guarantee for justice nor is it a substitute for it. But we have been told that ‘democracy is the best revenge’. This is little solace for the masses who have had revenge exacted on them for crimes unknown, but I digress.

    Then again, there are nations who don’t even have this opportunity afforded to them. In the case of Musharraf, it seems like his fate will have to be decided by the people. With everything else that is brewing, the mother of all elections is looming on the horizon.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  9. #99
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Pakistan 'will arrest Musharraf if he returns'

    http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...7e43af0aeb.231

    By Sajjad Tarakzai (AFP) – 22 hours ago

    ISLAMABAD — Pakistan will arrest former military ruler Pervez Musharraf should he return as announced at the end of the month from three years of self-imposed exile, the interior minister said Wednesday.

    "I assure this house that if he lands in Pakistan, he will be arrested because he is a PO (proclaimed offender)," Rehman Malik told the upper house of parliament.

    "There are three registered cases against him. He has been named in these cases, so ultimately he will be arrested."

    In a telephone address to a political rally in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi on January 8, Musharraf promised to fly home between January 27-30 to contest general elections now widely expected later this year.

    "I'll land in Karachi despite all sorts of dangers to my life," he said.

    "I can sacrifice my life if need be for the people of Pakistan."

    Musharraf seized power in 1999 in Pakistan's third military coup, becoming the country's fourth military ruler.

    He was forced to step down as president in August 2008 after the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) formed a government following elections. Since then, he has divided his time between London and Dubai.

    But in October a Pakistani court issued a warrant for his arrest over the killing of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch rebel leader in the insurgency-torn southwest who died in a cave hideout during an army raid in August 2006.

    In February 2011, another court issued a warrant for his arrest over the 2007 assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto, saying he failed to provide adequate security to protect her.

    In 2009, a criminal case was registered against him over his 2007 state of emergency and detention of judges as he attempted to cling onto power.

    Few in Pakistan are thought to want Musharraf to return and the army has stopped short of publicly guaranteeing his safety against the arrest warrants.

    A spokesman for Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) on Wednesday left the door open to the retired general changing his mind on returning.

    "We are not afraid of arrests," party official Mohammad Ali Saif told AFP.

    "We are in consultation with party leaders in this regard and Pervez Musharraf will take the final decision."

    The authorities in Karachi stood by the threat of arrest.

    "We'll go by the order of the court," provincial home minister Manzoor Wassan told AFP in Karachi, capital of the southern province.

    "We have made arrangements for him in prison," he added.

    A security official said forces had been ordered to tighten security from January 27-30 in Karachi "to avoid any untoward incident".

    On October 19, a suicide attack targeting Bhutto's homecoming killed at least 139 people in Karachi, to date Pakistan's deadliest militant attack.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  10. #100
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    America
    Posts
    30,749
    Pervez Musharraf postpones Pakistan return, aide says
    Pervez Musharraf addressing Karachi rally via video link from Dubai Gen

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16766967

    Former President Pervez Musharraf has decided to postpone his return to Pakistan, one of his aides says.

    Mr Musharraf had previously vowed to end his self-imposed exile and fly back to Pakistan by the end of this month to revive his political career.

    He faces arrest on arrival as he is accused of failing to provide adequate security for former PM Benazir Bhutto ahead of her assassination in 2007.

    The former military ruler, who stepped down in 2008, denies wrongdoing.

    On Friday Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani repeated that Mr Musharraf would be arrested if he did return.

    'Threatened'
    Mohammad Saif, general secretary of Mr Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League, told journalists in Dubai: "Gen Musharraf will return to Pakistan, that's for sure.

    "But we are waiting for the tension between the government and the Supreme Court to subside.

    He told journalists in Dubai that the government would seek to use Mr Musharraf's return to divert attention from its failures.

    Mr Saif gave no date for Mr Musharraf's return.

    In early January, Mr Musharraf had told a Karachi rally via video link from Dubai that he would be in Pakistan from 27 to 30 January and planned to participate in parliamentary elections, which are due by 2013.

    "I've been threatened and warned but I'm not one of those who gets scared or backs down," he told supporters. "I've fought wars. I'll come to Pakistan."

    The former president has described the case against him as "baseless" and politically led.

    Little support
    Correspondents say few people in Pakistan believe the country's former military ruler is the answer to its many problems.

    The government is currently locked in a three-way struggle with the judiciary and Pakistan's powerful military establishment.

    Relations with the US have hit new lows in recent months, principally over concerns about Pakistan's role in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

    Gen Musharraf led a military government which ruled Pakistan from 1999.

    His supporters were defeated in parliamentary elections in February 2008, and Gen Musharraf resigned in August that year under threat of impeachment.

    Pakistan's current president is Asif Ali Zardari, who is the widower of Benazir Bhutto.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


Similar Threads

  1. Pakistan's Bhutto Turns Screw On Musharraf
    By Gold9472 in forum The New News
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11-10-2007, 07:34 PM
  2. Blasts Near Bhutto Kill 126 in Pakistan
    By AuGmENTor in forum The New News
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-19-2007, 06:03 AM
  3. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-15-2007, 07:06 AM
  4. Palestinian Prime Minister: U.S. Is An Enemy Of Islam
    By Gold9472 in forum The New News
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-31-2006, 08:54 AM
  5. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-25-2006, 09:18 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •