(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Wednesday indicted former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the murder case of Baloch nationalist leader and former provincial governor Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.
The court also indicted former interior minister Aftab Sherpao and declared former premier Shaukat Aziz a proclaimed offender for his continued absence from the previous hearings.
The charges by the court are unlikely to cause any immediate problems for the 71-year-old former general, who has not attended a single hearing in the case since it began in 2013.
He was previously indicted for treason in March last year over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007, but proceedings have stalled since then as the country's civil authorities and judiciary appear to lack the will to take on the powerful military.
"The anti-terrorist court has indicted Musharraf along with former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and former home minister (of) Balochistan province Shoaib Nosherwani in Nawab Akbar Bugti's murder case," public prosecutor Taimur Shah said.
Shah added the court would resume hearings in the case on February 4.
Bugti was killed in a military operation in 2006, sparking deadly nationwide protests and inflaming a separatist insurgency in resource-rich but impoverished Balochistan province.
Bugti led an armed campaign to press for provincial autonomy and a greater share of profits from Balochistan's natural resources. His killing sparked nationwide protests and further inflamed armed rebellion that began in 2004.
The case has been in progress since 2009 but the former general has not appeared in any hearing. His counsel Zeeshan Cheema presented a medical certificate while seeking his exemption from personal appearance in the case. However, the court repeatedly questioned how he could make appearances on television programmes while avoiding court hearing.
Earlier, the Supreme Court granted bail to Musharraf in the case on October 9.
The hearing of the case was subsequently adjourned to February 4.
Musharraf has been staying with his daughter in Karachi where he travelled for tests at a navy-run hospital in April last year and the indictment took place in his absence.
He is on bail in four other major cases linked to his time in power including the 2007 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.