RAWALPINDI 

An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday formally indicted former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf for the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, as Musharraf's lawyers insisted the case would collapse in court.

Musharraf was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation of murder, along with six other defendants, including former Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and former Rawalpindi police superintendent Khurram Shahzad.

Judge Habibur Rehman set August 27 as the date for the hearing, ordering authorities to produce all defendants before the court.

Musharraf was brought to the courtroom amid tight security before being taken back to his sprawling Chuk Shahzad estate in the Islamabad suburbs, where he has remained under house arrest since April.

Two-time premier Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack in the historical Liaquat Park in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 after addressing a public rally.

Her Pakistan People's Party blames Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, for her murder.

It is the first time for a former military leader to face criminal proceedings in Pakistan, a country that has been ruled by the powerful army for almost half of the 66 years since its independence.

"There is no substance to the case," Afshan Adil, one of Musharraf's lawyers told Anadolu Agency.

"There is nothing to worry about. We are sure that he [Musharraf] will be exonerated," she added.

"The investigation agencies, instead of looking for the man accused [of opening fire] on Ms. Bhutto, are targeting General Musharraf, who has nothing to do with this murder," Adil said.

She wondered how prosecutors would prove the case against Musharraf when the prime suspect remained at large.

"If the prime [suspect] is arrested, only he could tell the court at who's behest he committed the crime," Adil asserted.

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