ATC displeased with withdrawal of money from Musharraf accounts

RAWALPINDI. Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) No-I Judge Muhammad Asghar Khan showed displeasure when Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday failed to submitted a detailed report regarding money transaction in the frozen bank accounts of former President Pervez Musharraf.

The FIA has submitted detailed report of all bank accounts except one. The officials of agency prayed the court for more time to submit a comprehensive report on how Musharraf managed to take out money from frozen bank accounts. The court has accepted the request of FIA and ordered to submit a detailed report of all bank accounts till March 15.

A reasonable amount from the frozen bank accounts of Musharraf has been withdrawn while FIA is clueless about it. The ATC had seized all bank accounts of Musharraf after declaring him a proclaimed offender in Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The FIA provided details of Musharraf's farmhouse, five plots and eight bank accounts to the court. But the ATC Judge expressed displeasure at a significant reduction in the amounts in the frozen bank accounts.

The FIA in its four-point charge sheet had accused Musharraf of hatching a conspiracy for assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

"How is there a reduction in the bank accounts from 2016?" the court asked the prosecutor. "Why there is a difference in details of the bank accounts provided two years ago and the current amount in the accounts?" the judge questioned.

In August 2017, the ATC convicted former city police officer Saud Aziz and senior superintendent of police Khurram Shehzad in Benazir murder case and awarded both of them 17 years’ imprisonment. It had acquitted five suspects belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan including Rafaqat Hussain, Hasnain Gul, Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman and Rashid Ahmed.