http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41545606/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia Pakistan issues arrest warrant for Musharraf Former president under scrutiny over assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani anti-terrorism court judge has issued an arrest warrant for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with the 2007 assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a spokesman for Musharraf said on Saturday. Judge Rana Nisar Ahmad also ordered Musharraf to appear before the court on Feb. 19, Pakistan's state television reported. "The court has issued an arrest warrant and asked that he should be produced before the court during the next hearing on February 19," said Musharraf spokesman Saif Ali. Prosecutors say Musharraf knew about the Taliban's plans to target her and did not provide her with adequate security, the BBC reported. Bhutto was killed Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and suicide bomb blast during a rally weeks after returning to Pakistan to campaign in new elections. Many of her supporters accuse Musharraf of not doing enough to ensure her protection. Musharraf left Pakistan for London more than two years ago. His spokesman Saif Ali Khan told a private channel Musharraf will defend himself before the court "at an appropriate time." United Nations inquiry Musharraf, a former military chief who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, has lived in self-imposed exile since he stepped down under threat of impeachment in 2008. He spends most of his time in London and Dubai. He has, however, expressed his intention to return to Pakistan and said he aimed to establish offices for his new political party by March. The warrant for Musharraf's arrest follows a similar court order in December for the arrest of two senior police officers on allegations they failed to provide adequate security for Bhutto before her assassination. A report by a United Nations commission of inquiry released in New York last year said any credible investigation into Bhutto's killing should not rule out the possibility that members of Pakistan's military and security establishment were involved. It heavily criticized Pakistani authorities, saying they had "severely hampered" the investigation. The initial investigation blamed a Pakistani Taliban leader and al-Qaida ally, Baitullah Mehsud, for Bhutto's murder. Musharraf, himself the target of at least two bomb attacks, has repeatedly dismissed suggestions he, the security agencies or military were involved in killing his old rival. The Associated Press, Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
