Musharraf assassination bids mastermind appeals sentence

A man facing death sentence for allegedly masterminding two assassination bids on Pakistan President Prevez Musharraf moved the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the verdict delivered by a military court.

The Apex Court scheduled a formal hearing on Wednesday on the appeal by Mushtaq Ahmed, sentenced to death in 2004 by a military court for allegedly planning two suicide attacks on Musharraf in December 2003 in Rawalpindi.

This is Ahmed's second appeal in the Supreme Court after it returned an earlier petition last week due to some technical errors in it. Ahmed had tried to escape from a Pakistan Air Force detention centre in 2004 but was rearrested in 2005.

Earlier in March, the Lahore High Court had dismissed his appeal against the death sentence. Musharraf survived both bids on his life, but the second attack had killed at least 15 people and injured 45.

Several low-ranking soldiers were involved in attacks on Musharraf and Ahmed was accused of inciting them to carry out the attack. One soldier, Islamuddin Sheikh, accused of hatching conspiracy to kill Musharraf, was hanged in August 2005.

Few other soldiers have also been given death sentence in same cases.