Zeenews Bureau
Islamabad: Pakistan Taliban have reportedly threatened to assassinate former military ruler Pervez Musharraf even as he has been granted pre-arrest bail by a Pakistani court ahead of his visit on March 24.
Issuing a clear warning, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said Musharraf will be the "main target" of the militants on his return. Ihsan asked Musharraf to surrender to the Taliban.
In a video released by the terror outfit on Saturday, the TTP has threatened that if Musharraf comes back to Pakistan then their suicide bombers and snipers will send him to “hell”, as per reports.
In the six-minute video, both Ihsan and Adnan Rashid referred to the 2007 military raid on the radical Lal Masjid in Islamabad and said, "We will not leave you alive."
Rashid, who escaped from prison last year, has made several attempts to assasinate Musharraf earlier.
The raid against extremist elements holed up in Lal Masjid was ordered by Musharraf, who was also the Army chief at the time.
The 69-years-old former president has been living in self-exile since 2009. He plans to return to Karachi to lead his party in upcoming polls. He has been shuttling between London and Dubai after he went out of Pakistan in exile.
The threats have been made at a time when a Pakistani court has granted a pre-arrest bail in several cases including some cases in which he has been declared a proclaimed offender.
The anti-terrorism court had declared Musharraf a fugitive and issued arrest warrants for him after he refused to cooperate with investigators probing Bhutto's assassination.
Fearing an attempt on his life by militant organisations, Musharraf has asked the government to step up his security measures by providing him a bullet proof vehicle.
First Published: Saturday, March 23, 2013, 12:32