Former military dictator has property confiscated as anti-terror court jails two police officials in relation to 2007 assassination

One of the most controversial trials in Pakistani history has ended with the former military dictator Pervez Musharraf declared a fugitive and his property ordered confiscated after he failed to show in court over the assassination 10 years ago of Benazir Bhutto.

Two high-ranking police officials were sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison but the verdict, while bringing some closure to a process many had thought would never conclude, stops short of sentencing anyone for the murder. The police officials were found guilty only of negligence and mistreatment of evidence, and five accused militants were acquitted.

By failing to bring its most prominent suspect, ex-president Musharraf, to justice, the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi set “a dangerous precedent,” said Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and researcher with Human Rights Watch in Pakistan. “This is a farce. Musharraf is in plain sight. And he regularly appears on television.”

Musharraf, who is accused of conspiring to murder the former prime minister, has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai since 2016, when he left the country after a period in house arrest, after the ministry of interior lifted his travel ban.

“10 years later and we still await justice. Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mothers murder roam free,” one of Bhutto’s daughters, Aseefa, said on Twitter.

The death of Benazir Bhutto Read more

Bhutto’s son, Bilawal, called the result “disappointing and unacceptable”.

In a move that surprised some observers, the court also acquitted five suspects linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), who had been accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto.

“The acquittal of al-Qaida/Taliban terrorists against whom evidence has been provided is most surprising and raises several questions. On its face it seems a triumph of al-Qaida militants,” Bhutto’s party, the PPP, said in a written statement.

The PPP claims that Musharraf himself was behind Bhutto’s murder. He has denied the allegations.

During her career, Bhutto, a two-term prime minister, was celebrated in the west as a beacon of democracy, and much feted for her glamorous reputation. People Magazine named her one of the world’s 50 most beautiful people.



In the region, she was equally idolised by supporters as a champion for women’s rights, and attacked by opponents for corruption, incompetence and nepotism.

Born into an aristocratic Karachi family, Bhutto studied at Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford. She took over the reigns of the Pakistan People’s party (PPP) in 1987, years after its founder, her father, was executed by the military dictator, Zia ul-Haq. In 1988, she became the first woman democratically elected to lead a Muslim-majority nation.

After her last term, besieged by corruption allegations, she fled the country, only to return eight years later to public celebrations.

It was during one of her public rallies, leading up to the 2008 elections, that Bhutto was first attacked by terrorists who had planted two bombs in the crowd. Bhutto survived that attack, which killed 149 people, but in another rally two months later, on 27 December in Rawalpindi, her car came under fire, before a suicide bomber detonated nearby.

Bhutto died in her car under circumstances that were later disputed. An initial investigation claimed she died from fracturing her skull on the sunroof latch in the blast. However, her party denied those claims, insisting that she died from gunshot wounds.

Prior to her death, Bhutto said a sinister cabal of intelligence officers and presidential aides were plotting to kill her, and that Musharraf should be blamed if anything were to happen to her. PPP has always maintained that line.

The police officers are the only two people to have been convicted over Bhutto’s murder. Saud Aziz, then police chief of Rawalpindi, was found guilty of security negligence, and for damaging evidence by having the attack site hosed down soon after the attack. Khurram Shehzad, a former police superintendent, was also sentenced for mishandling the crime scene.

By failing to take adequate security measures, Aziz abetted the crime, public prosecutor Azhar Chaudhry told the Guardian. Chaudhry also said there was “more than sufficient evidence” against two of the accused TTP-suspects – Rafaqat Hussain and Husnain Gul – and that he would appeal their acquittal.

The decade-long legal process, spanning more than 300 hearings from 121 witnesses, was marred by irregularities and delay. In 2013, the chief prosecutor investigating Musharraf in the Bhutto murder case was shot dead in his car in Islamabad.

Seven TTP militants who were under accusation in the case were killed in military operations since 2007, including its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a drone attack in 2009. Many thought his death was the end of the process.



“That was in my view the Pakistani state washing its hands of this case,” said Ijaz.

By blaming security forces for Bhutto’s murder, Thursday’s verdict gives some credence to Bhutto’s supporters, though to many of them, justice cannot be served until Musharraf is brought home to stand trial.

“Two police officers have been convicted and sentenced. But the question as to who had ordered them to wash out the place of occurrence and destroy crucial evidence has not been addressed,” said the PPP. “The conviction of the police officers will remain weak unless those giving orders to them were also tried and convicted.”</s>Pakistan’s former dictator Pervez Musharraf was Thursday declared a fugitive by an anti-terrorism court which ordered seizure of his property and sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, nearly 10 years after her assassination.

Bhutto, the Pakistan Peoples Party chief and a two-time prime minister, was killed along with more than 20 people in a gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh during an election campaign rally on December 27, 2007. She was 54.

The case was registered soon after her assassination and the trial went through many ups and down until it concluded yesterday in Rawalpindi.

Judge Asghar Khan announced the verdict, declaring Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered seizure of his property. Musharraf, has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan on pretext of medical treatment.

The judge sentenced former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town SP Khurram Shahzad — suspects out on bail — to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each. Both police officers – who were present in the court, have been arrested from Adiala Jail.

Five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspects have been acquitted over lack of evidence. The suspects – Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid – were arrested soon after the crime and have been in jail. They had denied the

 charges.

All accused were present at the time of announcement of trial except Musharraf.

The trial of five suspects started in January 2008, while Musharraf, Aziz and Shahezad were implicated in 2009 after fresh probe by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

“10 years later and we still await justice. Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mothers murder roam free,” Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted soon after the verdict was announced.

“There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes,” she tweeted.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sheila Raza also expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict. “We had reservations over the probe and the FIR lodged by the government,” she said.

Eight different judges heard the case during this period who were changed due to different reasons.

Initially TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud was blamed for murder and Musharraf government issued a taped conversation of Mehsud with a certain operator in which he was congratulating the operator for the murder.

But FIA Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry in his concluding arguments disowned the evidence of audio record and transcript of telephonic conversation. He termed it a cooked up story by Musharraf to mislead the investigators and to save himself.</s>RAWALPINDI
• A Pakistan anti-terrorism court has declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, ordering his property confiscated, a court official said yesterday.

Musharraf was charged with Ms Bhutto's 2007 assassination in 2013, but has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later. The official said he had "absconded".

The court also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taleban militants involved in the conspiracy to murder Ms Bhutto, the Muslim world's first female prime minister, the official said.

But it found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the official said, adding that they had each been sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 500,000 rupees (S$6,600).

The verdicts are the first to be issued in the case, and come nearly 10 years after Ms Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack during an election rally in Rawalpindi.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, a UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Ms Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.</s>A special anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday declared former President Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the assassination case of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, The Express Tribune reported. Five others were acquitted in the case, while two senior police officials were sentenced to 17 years in prison. The court also ordered a seizure of Musharraf’s property.

On Wednesday, the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court had reserved its verdict on the 10-year-old murder case. Judge Muhammad Asghar Ali Khan had said he needed time to examine and compile the evidence, the Dawn reported.

Musharraf, who was declared “most wanted” in the case, could not be present during the hearing on Wednesday as police suspected that extremist group Al Qaeda planned on targeting him, Federal Investigation Agency prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar had said.

Bhutto, Pakistan’s 11th Prime Minister was assassinated during an election campaign event on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi. Former military ruler Musharraf was the president at the time.</s>The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi also ordered attachment of properties of Mr Musharraf, who was declared a proclaimed offender in August 2011.

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Thursday declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in the 2007 Benazir Bhutto murder case and sentenced two police officers to 17 years in prison.

The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi also ordered attachment of properties of Mr Musharraf, who was declared a proclaimed offender in August 2011. The court had indicted Mr Musharraf in the case in February 2011.

The court on Thursday sentenced former Rawalpindi city police officer Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town superintendent of police Khurram Shahzad to 17 years in prison, and imposed a fine of 5 lakh Pakistani rupees each.

Bhutto, a two-time PM, was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack after a rally outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 while Mr Musharraf was the President.</s>In its verdict on the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court on Thursday sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail and declared former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf an absconder, reported by Pakistani media. The court also ordered the seizure of Musharraf’s property. Five other were acquitted in the case.

Former two-time prime minister of Pakistan, Bhutto, 54, was killed in a gun and bombing attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 when she came out of a park after addressing an election rally.

Judge Asghar Khan announced the verdict in court, where former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town SPKhurram Shahzad — suspects out on bail — were also present. Aziz and Shahzad were sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.

The case was registered soon after the assassination and the trial went through many ups and down until concluded on Wednesday in Rawalpindi. The anti-terrorism court gave its judgment on five militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group and two senior police officers. The five suspects Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid were arrested soon after the assassination and have been in jail. Then Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and SSP Kurrum Shehzad are also among the accused. Both were arrested initially but released on bail in 2011.

For all the latest Pakistan News, download Indian Express App</s>A Pakistani court Thursday branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, but acquitted five men accused of being involved in the 2007 assassination.

The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.

Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.

The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi ruled he had "absconded", a court official told reporters outside, saying it had also ordered the confiscation of his property.

"There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!" Bhutto's daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted moments after the statement.

The court also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taliban militants involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto on December 27, 2007.

They were set to walk free nearly 10 years after they were first arrested, though a defence lawyer said it was not yet clear when they would be released.

However the judges found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the court official said.

The police officers -- Saud Aziz, who was chief of Rawalpindi police at the time, and senior officer Khurram Shahzad -- are now the only two people to have been convicted over Bhutto's assassination.

Shahzad was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing -- an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice".

Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead.

They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, with the sentences to run concurrently, and fined 500,000 rupees ($4,700), according to a court order.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.

The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories.

Rashid A. Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was".

The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her".

"Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved".

Musharraf is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and Pakistani courts have ordered his property confiscated on previous occasions.

He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of a Baloch militant leader, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Bhutto's killing.</s>A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Thursday declared ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf an "absconder" in the murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and acquitted five people of the killing.

As an absconder, Musharraf legally must be arrested and brought to trial if he returns to Pakistan after being allowed to leave the country in 2016. The court also ordered Musharraf's property in Pakistan seized.

Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide and gun attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, weeks after she returned from exile to campaign in elections to bring back civilian rule.

Five accused members of the Pakistani Taliban were found not guilty for lack of evidence by the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad,.

Musharraf was charged in 2013 of being culpable in Bhutto's murder. He seized power in a 1999 coup but stepped down nine years later after allowing new elections.

He is now in self-imposed exile, having been allowed to leave the country in March 2016 for health reasons while awaiting trial on that and other charges.

The court also found two police officials guilty in the case, one of mishandling security at the Bhutto rally and the other of mishandling the crime scene. Each was jailed for 17 years.</s>The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: A Pakistani court on Thursday (Aug 31) branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination.

The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.

The judge also found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the court official said, making them the only people to have been convicted over the assassination.

Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.

The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi ruled he had "absconded", a court official told reporters outside, saying it had also ordered the confiscation of his property.

The judge also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taliban militants involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto on Dec 27, 2007.

They were set to walk free nearly 10 years after they were first arrested, though a defence lawyer said it was not yet clear when they would be released.

"My clients were held for nine years and eight months for nothing," Malik Jawad Khalid, the lawyer for three of the men - Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul and Sher Zaman - told AFP.

"This time in their lives cannot be brought back, but we thank Allah that they have been declared innocent."

If the acquittals are challenged, he vowed, "my clients will again prove themselves innocent in the higher courts".

Bhutto's son Bilawal, who now heads her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), tweeted that the decision was "disappointing & unacceptable", and the release of "terrorists" was "not only unjust but dangerous". He vowed the party would explore legal options.

"There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!" Bhutto's daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted moments after the court's announcement.

Senior police officer Khurram Shahzad was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing - an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice".

Then-Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead.

They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, with the sentences to run concurrently, and fined 500,000 rupees (US$4,700), according to a court order.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.

The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories.

Rashid A. Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was".

The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her".

"Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved".

Musharraf is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and Pakistani courts have ordered his property confiscated on previous occasions.

He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of a Baloch militant leader, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Bhutto's killing.</s>RAWALPINDI - An anti-terrorism court Thursday branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial and sentenced two police officers to 17 years imprisonment each for ‘mishandling the crime scene’.

In the decade old high-profile case, the prosecution failed to establish the identity of the real killers, and the court acquitted five men accused of involvement in the assassination for lack of substantial evidence and faulty investigation.

The decision announced by Rawalpindi ATC special judge Muhammad Asghar Khan at the heavily guarded Adiyala Jail brought disappointment to the family of the late Pakistan Peoples Party leader.

Federal Investigation Agency has however vowed to challenge the acquittal of Aitzaz Shah, Muhammad Rafqat, Husnain Gull, Sher Zaman and Abdul Rahid Turabi – who all had alleged links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The verdict is the first to be issued since Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack on December 27, 2007, sparking street violence and plunging the country into months of political turmoil.

Apart from Musharraf, five other men — Baitullah Mehsud, Ahmad Gul, Iqramullah, Abdullah, and Faizullah — have been declared absconders. But the judgement failed to identify the real killers of Benazir.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was later killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

US lobbyist and author Mark Seigal’s statement also became part of the case. Seigal in his statement had said that Benazir sent him an email sharing that Musharraf wanted to kill her and if something happened to her he should be held responsible.

In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.

But the former president and military ruler had denied the allegation of being part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

The court ruled on Thursday that Musharraf, who has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later, had "absconded" and ordered the confiscation of his moveable and immovable property.

The former strongman is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and country’s courts have ordered confiscation of his property on previous occasions too.

He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of Baloch leader Akbar Bhugti, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Benazir Bhutto's killing.

Former Rawal Division SP Khurram Shahzad Haider (currently posted as SSP Special Branch of Rawalpindi) was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing – an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice".

Then-Rawalpindi police chief (CCPO) Syed Saud Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead.

They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, and fined 500,000 rupees. Since both the jail terms are to run concurrently, the two officers will actually serve around 10 years in prison.

Saud and Khurram were awarded 10 years imprisonment each under Section 119 of Pakistan Penal Court (Public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his/her duty to prevent/negligence during duty).

Both the police officers were sentenced 7 years jail under Section 201 of PPC (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender/washing down crime scene) along with fine of Rs 0.5 million each. In case of non-payment of fine, they will serve an extra 6 month term in jail.

Both the police officers were arrested from courtroom soon after the announcement of the verdict.

The court ruled that the prosecution remained totally unable to establish the case against the accused. It also observed that there were glaring contradictions in the documentary evidence as well as in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses. The court also ruled that police and other agencies have conducted faulty investigation in the case.

Earlier, when the judge left ATC No 1 for Adiala Jail amid tight security, some four to five junior lawyers belonging to the PPP were seen standing outside the ATC. No prominent leader or lawyer of the party was present either outside the ATC or at Adiala Jail.

Political commentators declared the verdict of high profile BB murder case as unexpected and unbelievable. The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories.

Rashid A Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was".

The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari said, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her".

"Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved".

However, the defence lawyers termed the verdict of ATC as historic and based on merit.

"My clients were held for nine years and eight months for nothing," Malik Jawad Khalid, said the lawyer for three of the men – Rafaqat, Husnain and Sher.

"This time in their lives cannot be brought back, but we thank Allah that they have been declared innocent." He however said it was not yet clear when they would be released.

If the acquittals are challenged, he vowed, "my clients will again prove themselves innocent in the higher courts".

“This decision has proved that the judiciary of Pakistan is free and fair,” he commented.

Naseer Tanoli advocate, counsel for Aitzaz Shah, said the prosecution failed in producing substantial evidence against his client or others. “The ATC judge did a bravo by lying down such a decision,” he said.

FIA Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Imtiaz, while talking to the media outside ATC, hailed the decision of convicting the two police officers. But he said he would consult the acquittal of the five accused with FIA high ups and file a petition with Lahore High Court against their release.
Two police officials found guilty of negligence and mistreatment of evidence are sentenced to 17 years in prison. Five accused TTP militants are acquitted. The main suspect, former president Pervez Musharraf, who now resides in Dubai, is declared a fugitive for having failed to show up in court and has his property confiscated.