Today Musharraf Was Formally Indicted For Murdering Benzir Bhutto

Tuesday, there were three charges against Pakistan's former military dictator, Pervez Musharraf: murder, conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder, shocking in a country which has had an unwritten rule that top military men are NEVER held accountable for their crimes, no matter how serious the offenses. (There has also been a lot of speculation that he's always been a CIA operative, which complicates everything.)

Musharraf, who's been under house arrest in his palatial digs in Rawalpindi denies everything.

Musharraf was indicted during a short hearing at a court in the city of Rawalpindi, a move that adds to the problems facing the former president who returned from self-exile in March only to be entangled in three legal cases, barred from contesting elections and put under house arrest.

Public prosecutor Mohammad Azhar told reporters that the 70-year-old retired general was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder during a short hearing.

Musharraf's lawyer said he denied all the all the charges and the cases against him were fabricated.

...Potentially far more troubling for Musharraf was the government announcement in June that the former president should be tried for treason, a capital offence.

Only the government can pursue a treason trial and many analysts had assumed newly elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif would avoid picking a fight with the powerful army that does not want to see one of its former leaders imprisoned or executed.

And there's another assassination charge-- this time for the murder of Akbhar Khan Bugti, the former Balochistan chief minister-- which is awaiting Musharraf.