Benazir murder: Musharraf to face charges Aug 20

A Rawalpindi court Tuesday ruled that former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf would be indicted for the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto Aug 20 after he failed to appear before it due to security concerns, a leading Pakistani daily said.

Musharraf had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto, according to The Dawn.

Police and Musharraf's lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe to escort him to the court due to threats on his life.

Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until Aug 20 and ordered Musharraf to appear then.

Musharraf has been under house arrest at his plush villa here since April 19. Earlier July 30, he had appeared before the court in person.

Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bombing Dec 27, 2007. Musharraf's government had blamed Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud for the murder. However, Mehsud denied the charges. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

The Benazir Bhutto case is one in a series of court battles that Musharraf has faced over allegations dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, since he returned in March from four years of self-imposed exile.