RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday ordered attachment of the properties owned by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for being a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Judge Shaukat Kamal Dar of the Rawalpindi ATC issued the order after the prosecution completed the process required to declare the former military dictator ‘fugitive’ and ‘absconder’ in the murder case of the former prime minister and then chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

According to the prosecution, Musharraf has eight bank accounts, besides immovable properties in Islamabad and Gwadar. He was declared an absconder in the PPP chairperson’s murder case after he left the country in 2016.

In the Aug 31, 2017, verdict, the ATC convicted CPO Saud Aziz and SSP Khurram Shehzad for criminal negligence and acquitted five others suspected to be affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Both police officers later filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court, which suspended their sentences.

ATC issues directive after declaring ex-dictator fugitive

As Musharraf had been declared a proclaimed offender, the ATC then initiated a process for attachment of his movable and immovable properties.

The trial of the Benazir murder suspects had commenced in January 2008. However, the government in 2009 ordered a fresh probe into the assassination. Subsequently, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) implicated the ex-military ruler Musharraf, then city police officer Aziz and SSP Shehzad as accused.

The prosecution submitted eight challans to the ATC that separated Musharraf’s trial after he left the country in March 2016.

While the Rawalpindi ATC on Friday ordered attachment of his properties for being fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, a special court had earlier also initiated similar proceeding because of absconding of the ex-dictator in the high treason case.

In the high treason case, the properties could not be attached because the spouse, daughter and a close relative of Musharraf claimed the ownership of the properties in question.

According to the documents submitted by the interior ministry in the special court, the former military dictator owned seven immovable properties and nine bank accounts.

The immovable properties included a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad, land in the Army Housing Scheme in Karachi, Khayaban-i-Faisal, Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi, Beach Street, DHA Islamabad, and DHA Lahore.

The former military ruler also had accounts in Bank Alfalah, Standard Chartered Bank, Askari Bank, Habib Metropolitan Bank and the National Bank of Pakistan.

The farmhouse mentioned in the interior ministry’s details, however, was disputed as the matter was sub judice. His wife claims ownership of the house that she said he had gifted to her in 2008.

The interior ministry informed the special court seized with high treason trial that it was difficult to attach even local properties of the absconding dictator as some of the properties were disputed, his spouse, daughter and a relative claiming to have share in the property.

The previous government had filed a complaint against retired Gen Musharraf under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution, accusing him of holding Constitution in abeyance on Nov 3, 2007.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2019