Explosives found outside Musharraf’s house

Islamabad – Explosives were recovered from the vicinity of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s farmhouse Monday, a media report said.

According to police, five packets of explosives were found — each containing around 400-500 gm of explosive material while one pack had a detonator as well, Geo News reported.

The bomb disposal squad seized the packets, the report said.

“We have found five packets of explosive material, each weighing half a kilo, with two detonators,” police chief Abdul Rauf Kayani said.

“It is not clear who put the packets here but we have impounded them and begun an investigation,” he added.

Musharraf said Sunday he had not yet decided whether to attend Wednesday’s hearing of a high treason trial against him at a special court.

He also said the high treason case was a “vendetta” against him and that he had the backing of the country’s powerful army.

A special court in Pakistan will formally frame charges of high treason against the former army chief Jan 1, 2014.

The court was scheduled to begin trial of Musharraf Dec 24 for abrogating the constitution. However, the former president could not appear before the judges in view of the security threats.

A five-kg bomb and two pistols were found in a bag on Musharraf’s route to the court.

Musharraf took over in a bloodless coup when he overthrew the elected government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999.

The 69-year-old former military ruler currently lives in his farmhouse in Islamabad after getting bail in three high-profile cases, including the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf resigned in 2008 and went into exile, but returned to Pakistan in March this year to take part in parliamentary elections. However, a court disqualified him from standing in the May elections.