Benazir murder case ATC confiscates Musharraf’s surety bonds

RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) here on Saturday confiscated the surety bonds submitted for the former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf and initiated proceedings against the surety after the proclaimed offender failed to appear before court in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Musharraf was already declared an absconder by the ATC over non-appearance before the court.

He was named a suspect in the murder by the plain-tiff.

The court resumed the hearings into the trial against the former president on

Saturday and expressed annoyance over the failure of the defendant to submit the details of his assets to

the court. Ordering to confiscate two surety bonds of Rs1 million each by the former military ruler, the court adjourned the hearing until February 20.

At the previous hearing, the ATC had given Musharraf’s surety, Nazir Ahmed and Mumtaz Hussain, a final warning with regard to submitting to the court 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 People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari challenged last year a decision of an Anti-Terrorism Court in the Benazir Bhutto murder case demanding capital punishment for all those accused including Musharraf.