Pakistan’s former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, has survived an assassination attempt after a bomb exploded on his convoy’s route near Rawalpindi.

The bomb exploded around 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT), striking a bridge on his route between a military hospital and Rawalpindi, only minutes before his convoy arrived at the location.

No injuries have been reported from the blast.

Musharraf, 70, was admitted to hospital in January after complaining of chest pains while en route to court to begin his trial for treason. He has been charged with five counts of treason for alleged constitutional violations during his premiership, accusations which he denies and claims are politically motivated.

Senior police official Liaqat Niazi said:

“Four kilograms of explosive device planted in a pipeline under a bridge exploded around 20 minutes before the former president was supposed to cross the spot”

This is the fourth attempt on the former leader’s life, with the previous three occurring during his time in office between 1999 and 2008.