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Musharraf says army, air force officers tried to kill him

K J M Varma in Islamabad | May 27, 2004 16:05 IST

In a startling revelation, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said junior officers of the army and air force were involved in attempts on his life in December last and a few suspects have been captured.

Those captured would soon face an open trial in a military court, he said in an interview to private 'Geo' TV channel.

"The master-mind who thought of the idea and planned, he is still at large. We will get him. We know who he is. He is very much a Pakistani," the general said while declining to reveal his identity on the ground that it would be "compromising a lot" with the investigations.

Asked why the master-mind has not been arrested, he said it is because he is "very clever....but we will get him."

In March, Musharraf had said a Libyan member of Al Qaeda was behind the attacks.

"People in uniform [involved] are from junior level. They are from air force and army. But they are very small in number," he said while ruling out the involvement of any top military brass.

Musharraf said the first attempt on December 14 by blowing up a bridge at Rawalpindi shortly after his motorcade had passed was carried directly by the accused military personnel.

They, however, were not directly involved in the second attempt a few days later in which two suicide bombers driving explosives-laden vehicles attempted to ram into his convoy at different places in the garrison city, he said.

The president was unhurt but 16 people, mostly policemen, were killed.

The attackers were later identified as Islamic militants. One of them was a member of Jaish-e Mohammed and hailed from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

 


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