Saturday, August 20 2005 15:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A Pakistani Army man, found guilty of involvement in a failed assassination plot against President Pervez Musharraf in 2003, was hanged in a prison in the central Punjab province early today (August 20, 2005), officials said. 35-year-old Abdul Salam Siddiqi was sent to gallows in Multan's central jail in Punjab province at 0400 hrs, they said. A military court following his arrest in connection with the December 14, 2003 sentenced Siddiqi to death assassination attempt on Musharraf, also Army Chief of the country. The President rejected his mercy petition.

Attackers had tried to blow up Musharraf's motorcade in Rawalpindi near here but no one was injured in that incident. However, in another attack on Musharraf on December 25, at least 16 people, mostly his police guards, were killed and several wounded while the General escaped unhurt. Siddiqi's father Karim Bakhsh, who along with other relatives had came to Multan to collect his body, told reporters yesterday that his son, in their last meeting, had insisted that he was innocent.

He said his son had been associated with Army for 16 years but that he did not know his position. Siddiqi disappeared two years ago after he was transferred to Peshawar, Bakhsh said. "I contacted senior officials about the disappearance of my son and I was told that he has been sent for duties to tribal region of South Waziristan".

Bakhsh said that he came to know after eight months of his son's disappearance that he was in a Sialkot jail in Punjab on charges of plotting a suicide attack against Musharraf. Senior army officers were present at the time of the execution of Siddiqi, survived by two sons and a daughter who are in the ages between 4 and 10 years.

After his arrest, Siddiqi was charged with conspiring suicide attack on Musharraf on December 14, 2003 in Rawalpindi on a bridge near the Army headquarters. He was shifted to Multan jail from Sialkot a month ago. Relatives met Siddiqi for the last time in Multan jail yesterday, sources said.

It is not clear as to how many people have been arrested or handed down punishment in Musharraf's attack cases but officials said several low ranking officials from Army and Air Force were being tried by military courts.