ATC orders Musharraf to be part of BB murder investigation

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday appeared before an anti-terrorism court for the first time over the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The ATC has directed Pervez Musharraf to be part of murder investigation and adjourned the hearing till May 3. When the hearing will resume, the court will also hear the request to overturn the court’s order pertaining to seize Musharraf's property and freeze his bank accounts.

Musharraf was driven to the court in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the army he once led, from his plush villa on the edge of Islamabad where he is serving a two-week arrest order for other charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

Musharraf is accused of involvement in a conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007. It is one of the three cases he is fighting in the courts since returning home last month after four years in self-imposed exile.

Despite a heavy police and paramilitary presence, scuffles broke out between lawyers and Musharraf supporters, who threw stones and beat each other with sticks outside the court building.