ISLAMABAD: A powerful explosion on Thursday hit Faizabad bridge just after the convoy of the former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf passed from it, DawnNews reported.
Musharraf was being shifted early Thursday from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) to his farmhouse in Chak Shahzad when the huge blast occurred just after the convoy crossed the bridge.
According to sources, almost four to six kilograms of explosive material was planted in a pipeline near a footpath.
The intensity of the blast caused about a foot deep hole in the ground at the site of the explosion.
Moreover, the police claimed that the attack was aimed at targeting the former president.
However, no casualties were reported in the incident.
Musharraf was safely at his farmhouse in Chak Shahzad.
The former military dictator was admitted to the AFIC in early January when he was on his way to a special court set up for his high treason trial for abrogating the Constitution and detaining judges in 2007. However, the general’s convoy took a detour to the hospital in Rawalpindi when he suddenly started suffering from chest pain.
Musharraf had been receiving several threats to his life since his return to Pakistan and explosives have been recovered from around his farmhouse residence on a number of occasions. Moreover, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also threatened to assassinate the ex army strongman.
As recently as March 10, the Islamabad police chief, the chief commissioner and the Interior Ministry had warned that terrorists affiliated with the TTP and Al Qaeda were planning to target the retired general based on a letter sent to Home Secretary Punjab. Consequently, the ministry advised extreme vigilance and fool-proof security measures be taken to avoid any untoward incident.
Moreover, the government also enhanced security at Musharraf's Chak Shahzad residence and personnel in-charge visited the place yesterday with the administration expecting the former president's arrival at the farmhouse.