A bomb exploded early Thursday morning shortly before former army chief and President Pervez Musharraf's convoy was due to pass. The bomb was planted on Musharraf's route from Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) to his farmhouse, police said. Police sources said the bomb was planted in a pipeline under a footpath of Islamabad near Faizabad interchange 20 minutes before Musharraf's convoy was supposed to cross the spot.
A woman, who crossed the spot in her car when the bomb went off, was seriously injured in the blast. Her relatives, however, did not disclose her name or give any other information about her except that she was presently admitted to a private hospital. Sources said that Musharraf was secretly shifted from the hospital to his farmhouse.
After the blast former president was shifted to his residence through an alternate route, they said. Sources said that soon after the blast a police team and a bomb disposal squad reached the spot and cleared the area after a search operation. The blast created a three-foot deep crater, they said.
The Secretariat police have registered a case against unknown people under the explosives act. Former president Pervez Musharraf was admitted to the AFIC on January 2, when he suffered a heart problem on way to Special Court.
AFP/AP add: Musharraf, who is on trial for treason, narrowly escaped what police called an assassination attempt as a roadside bomb went off shortly before his convoy was due to pass early Thursday. It went off at around 2:00 am (2100 GMT Wednesday). Nobody was injured and there have so far been no claims of responsibility. "Four kilograms (nine pounds) of explosive device planted in a pipeline under a bridge exploded around 20 minutes before the former president was supposed to cross the spot," senior police official Liaqat Niazi said.
The blast occurred at the Faizabad interchange, which lies at the boundary of the two cities, and destroyed a footpath around two metres (seven feet) wide. Niazi said Musharraf was then taken home via an alternative route. Muhammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Islamabad police, confirmed the incident, saying a bomb disposal squad had cordoned off the area after the blast and searched for additional explosives. "Nobody was injured in the blast," he said, adding Musharraf was the intended target.
It was the fourth apparent attempt on the ex-general's life, with the first three occurring while he was in office. Prior to his hospitalisation for a heart condition, several bombs were discovered by officials near his villa. Some commentators in the domestic media said those explosives may have been planted by insiders in order to exaggerate the threat to Musharraf's life and expedite his safe passage out of the country through a behind-the-scenes deal.
But a spokesman for the ex-general said Thursday he was in "real danger". "Musharraf's life is in real danger from the threat of extremist terrorist groups," Raza Anjum, a London-based aide told AFP in an email. "He is number one on the terrorists' hit list. We call upon the government of Pakistan to ensure that those who perpetuated this planned assassination attempt are brought to justice," he added.
Musharraf was believed to be keen to return from hospital to his comfortable villa in the scenic Bani Gala suburb of Islamabad. Ahmad Raza Kasuri, a member of his legal team, told reporters that Musharraf had discharged himself. "He left the AFIC at his own request and was with his son Bilal," he said. The first major attempt on Musharraf's life came in December 2003, when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi.
Days later, he survived another attempt by two suicide bombers which left 16 people dead. In July 2007, an unknown group fired a 7.62 submachine gun at Musharraf's plane as it took off from a runway in Rawalpindi. In the latest attack, Musharraf was travelling from the military hospital in Rawalpindi where he's been treated since January to his house in the capital of Islamabad when the blast went off early Thursday, said police official Mohammed Hayat.
Musharraf's convoy had crossed a bridge entering the capital when the bomb exploded shortly after, Hayat said. He said the blast was caused by 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of explosives, adding that it was not clear whether it was a remote control or time device. Hayat said Musharraf appeared to be the target of the blast but it was not immediately clear how far his vehicle was from the explosion.
Musharraf's spokeswoman, Aasia Ishaq, said the retired general was already at home when the blast went off and that he was fine. An aide to Musharraf who did not want to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the convoy had left the hospital about 20 minutes earlier than planned. Ishaq said it was up to the authorities to make sure nothing happens to him. "All extremist and terrorist forces want to kill Musharraf," said the spokeswoman. "If anything happens to Musharraf, the government will be responsible."