Karachi, Sept 27: The prosecutor in an alleged plot to murder Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said today he would demand the death penalty as the court trying five Islamic militants in the case completed examination of witnesses. Judge Aale Maqbool Rizvi fixed October 11 for final arguments in a trial that has gone on for six months, public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti told reporters after the hearing in the central Karachi prison. "My case is strong and I will demand the maximum punishment for all the five accused", Bhatti said. Ayub, Mohammad Imran Bhai, Arslan Sharaib Farooqui, Mohammad Ashraf and Wasim Akhtar are accused of trying to blow up Musharraf's car as his convoy travelled along a busy highway from Karachi's airport on April 26 last year. All five belong to the Islamic extremist group Harkat-ul-Mujahedin al-Alaami, according to police.
The attempt failed, police say, because the remote-controlled detonator for an explosive-laden van malfunctioned.
Bureau report