Islamabad, Aug. 26: Pakistan today sentenced five men, including a low-ranking army official, to death for their role in an assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf on December 25, 2003.

It was not immediately clear which court heard the case. However, chief military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said in Islamabad that the trial was held under relevant provisions of the law.

He identified those sentenced to death as trooper Arshad Mehmood, Zubair Ahmad, Rashid Qureshi, Ghulam Sarwar Bhatti and Akhlaq Ahmad. Three other men, Adnan Khan, Amir Sohail and Rana Mohammad Naveed, were sentenced to jail terms in the same case.

In December 2003, Musharraf survived two assassination attempts in Rawalpindi. The first was on December 14 when a bridge blew up seconds after he crossed it near his official residence and the second on December 25 after two suicide bombers rammed their explosive-laden vehicles into the presidential motorcade.

Eighteen people were killed and more than 50 wounded in the second attack, which set off ripples across the country and raised serious concerns about the security ring around Musharraf.

Today’s sentence came a week after the authorities hanged former soldier Abdul Islam Siddiqui in the New Central Jail of Multan. Siddiqui was found guilty by a military court of involvement in the December 14 assassination attempt on Musharraf.

It is believed that pro-al Qaida elements, unhappy with Musharraf’s support to the US and his decision to ban at least six sectarian and militant outfits in January 2002, were involved in the two bids. Pakistan’s military maintains that no senior officers were involved in the assassination attempts.