RAWALPINDI, April 26: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Friday rejected former president Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s plea for reconstitution of the joint investigation team (JIT) in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and handed him over on a four-day physical remand to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for interrogation.

In the meantime, the Quetta police also arrived in the ATC to arrest Gen Musharraf in the Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case.

But ATC Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman advised them to wait till expiry of his (Musharraf’s) physical remand in Benazir murder case.

Unlike earlier hearings, the former president’s supporters were not present outside the ATC when FIA additional director Khalid Rasool produced him in the court on Friday.

Disturbed with their negative coverage in media, the lawyers also remained peaceful and observed the decorum of the court.

The former army chief, wearing brown Shalwar Kameez and traditional waistcoat, saluted the ATC judge as he entered the courtroom.

He was looking restless and exhausted.

FIA special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told the court that the accused had been included in the Benazir Bhutto murder case on the basis of tangible evidence but he remained a proclaimed offender for quite a long time.

He requested the court to hand over Gen Musharraf to the FIA on a five-day physical remand.

However, Barrister Salman Safdar, the counsel for the former president, opposed the physical remand and said there was no evidence against his client in the murder case and he had wrongly been implicated in it.

He also submitted an application on behalf of his client stating that he had certain reservations on the joint investigation team (JIT) constituted by former interior minister Rehman Malik.

According to the application, Malik was the security in-charge of Ms Bhutto and looking after the security arrangements at Liaquat Bagh where she was assassinated.

It requested the court for directions to the federal government to reconstitute the JIT.

The counsel pointed out that Musharraf was facing a media trial and requested the court to direct the media to report only factual developments.

The court, however, did not pass any order on his request. The judge directed the FIA to keep Gen Musharraf at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse which has been declared a sub-jail. The court also directed his counsel to approach the appropriate forum for the reconstitution of the JIT.

Lawyers behaviour

Before the hearing, about two dozen lawyers arrived in the courtroom along with Taufiq Asif, the president of Lahore High Court (LHC) bar association, Rawalpindi division, and Malik Israrul Haq, the president of Rawalpindi district bar association.

The lawyers witnessed the proceedings in a disciplined manner and gave space to their long-time foe Gen Musharraf when he entered and left the courtroom.

Taufiq Asif stopped the lawyers from following Gen Musharraf when he was leaving the courtroom. The lawyers dispersed peacefully after Mr Musharraf left the court premises.

Advocate Asif told Dawn that despite the anti-judiciary actions of the former president, the lawyers wanted his fair trial.

He alleged that during the last a few hearings some Musharraf supporters disguised as lawyers created unrest to defame the lawyers’ community.

Akbar Bugti murder case

The Quetta crimes branch team headed by DSP Mohammad Nadeem in its application requested the ATC to allow them to arrest Mr Musharraf as he had been a proclaimed offender in the murder case since 2012.

The judge after examining the application observed that since Gen Musharraf was already on physical remand with the FIA in the Benazir murder case, under the law he cannot be handed over to any other prosecution agency till the expiry of the remand.

DSP Nadeem told Dawn that the Quetta police would arrest Gen Musharraf on April 30 if the ATC did not extend his remand in the Benazir murder case.

After his arrest, he added, Gen Musharraf would be taken to Quetta in connection with Bugti murder case.

However, since he is already required in the judges’ detention and Benazir murder cases by the Islamabad police and FIA, the former president may be kept at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse even after his arrest by the Quetta police, he added.