Rawalpindi:
Pakistan's ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday failed to appear in court where he was to be indicted over the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto due to what police said were security concerns.
Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-armed state from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto in December 2007.
But police and his lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe enough to bring Musharraf to the court due to threats against his life.
Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until August 12, said an AFP reporter at the court.
Musharraf, who has been under house arrest at his plush villa on the edge of the capital Islamabad since April 19, had appeared before the court in person on July 30.
Indicting a former army chief would be an unprecedented move in a country ruled for more than half of its life by the military.
Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-armed state from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto in December 2007.
But police and his lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe enough to bring Musharraf to the court due to threats against his life.
Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until August 12, said an AFP reporter at the court.
Musharraf, who has been under house arrest at his plush villa on the edge of the capital Islamabad since April 19, had appeared before the court in person on July 30.
Indicting a former army chief would be an unprecedented move in a country ruled for more than half of its life by the military.
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