Musharraf flees from court premises after bail cancellation
Islamabad : The Islamabad high court on Thursday ordered the arrest of Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the house arrest of judges in March 2007.
Accompanied by his guards, Musharraf appeared before court to seek an extension in his bail. However, the court dismissed his plea and ordered his arrest.
The former president immediately left the court premises, driving away in a convoy escorted by his bodyguards.
Massive security accompanied Musharraf as he appeared in court.
In the previous hearing, the high court had extended his interim bail till April 18.
Dawn said that the case is based on an FIR against the retired general registered in Aug 11, 2009 on the complaint of Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam Ghumman, an advocate.
He had asked the police to initiate legal proceedings against Musharraf for detaining over 60 judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, after proclamation of a state of emergency in the country Nov 3, 2007.
Xinhua recalled that the judges had refused to take oath under his Provincial Constitutional Order.
A lower court had previously issued arrest warrant for Musharraf as he failed to appear before the court despite several orders.
He faces other legal cases, including treason charges for imposing emergency rule, the 2007 assassination of former Premier Benazir Bhutto and the killing of a Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.
Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999 and resigned in August 2008 to avoid impeachment by the parliament, has denied all the charges and vowed to defend himself in courts.
He returned to Pakistan after over four years of self-imposed exile in Britain and the UAE to lead his All Pakistan Muslim League in the May 11 parliamentary elections. But all four applications to contest the polls, including from Islamabad, have been rejected by the Election Commission.
Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement, that the former military ruler’s escape from the court “underscores his disregard for due legal process and indicates his assumption that as a former army chief and military dictator he can evade accountability for abuses”.
“It is essential that Pakistan’s military authorities which are protecting the former dictator comply with the Islamabad High Court’s orders and ensure that he presents himself for arrest,” the statement added.
It said that “continued military protection for General Musharraf will make a mockery of claims that Pakistan’s armed forces support the rule of law and bring the military further disrepute that it can ill afford”.
File Photo : AFP
(Input from IANS)
