Islamabad : A heavy explosive device planted in a pipeline under a bridge went off  minutes before the convoy of  Pervez Musharrraf, the former military ruler of Pakistan who is facing trial on treason charges was to  pass that way  during the early hours of April 3, Thursday at Faizabad.  The explosives intended to target the former Pakistani premiere who was lucky enough to survive this attempt on his life. This was  the fourth attempt on Musharraf’s life, with the first three occurring while he was in office.

The device with explosives weighing 4 kg was placed under the bridge on the route from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology  in Rawalpindi to Musharraf’s farm house on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.

Reports said no one was injured in the blast. No organisation has also claimed responsibility for the blast which ripped  off a footpath by around two meters.

A senior police official said Musharraf was dropped home through a different route later on.

A police team which cordoned off the area has searched for the presence of any other explosives.

Musharraf has been facing threats to his life from various organisations including the Talibans ever since he returned to Pak  last year after a self-imposed exile. Though he intended to fight the general elections, a series of cases including that of treason slapped on him prevented him from fighting the elections.

Earlier on March 31, a special court had indicted Musharraf for treason. The charges relate to Musharraf’s 2007 imposition of emergency rule which came as the Supreme Court was due to rule on the validity of his re-election as president.
The first attack on Musharraf’s life was in December 2003  when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi.

He survived another attempt by two suicide bombers which left 16 people dead, a few days later.
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.