Islamabad: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, facing treason trial, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Thursday when a powerful bomb went off near his farmhouse here shortly after his convoy had passed.
The blast took place on VVIP Road between Faizabad and Rawal Dam Chowk an hour after Musharraf’s convoy passed through the route at about 3 am to shift him to his farmhouse from from Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi.
He was unhurt, but officials said the blast caused about a foot deep hole in the ground.
The police claimed that the 70-year-old former president was the target, media reports said.
A bomb disposal squad was called in at the blast site – three kilometres from Musharraf’s sprawling Chak Shehzad farmhouse on the outskirts of the city.
The bomb was reportedly planted in a drainage pipe adjacent to the footpath.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
A case regarding has been registered against unknown persons in the Secretariat Police Station.
Since Musharraf is under threat from terror groups, heavy security has been given to him and all his routes are thoroughly checked before he gets out.
Reports said one person, who was in a car passing through the area, was injured in the blast.
The former military dictator was admitted to the AFIC on January 2 when he complained of heart problems on his way to a special court set up for his high treason trial for abrogating the constitution and detaining judges in 2007.
Musharraf is facing five counts of high treason that potentially carry death penalty or life imprisonment.
Since his return to Pakistan from self-exile in March last year, Musharraf has faced prosecution in four major cases, including for his alleged involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in 2006.
Musharraf was indicted on Monday by a special court hearing the high treason case against him, becoming the first-ever military ruler to face criminal prosecution.
Musharraf’s spokesperson Raza Bokhari confirmed the blast took place after the former president had taken the route.
“We are relieved to confirm Gen Musharraf escaped an attempt on his life in the wee hours of the morning. This underscores the grave threat that Pakistan, Gen Musharraf and other moderate voices face from violent extremist who act with impunity,” Bokhari said. (PTI)
