Musharraf asks court to let him travel to Dubai

Close on the heels of being granted bail in four major criminal cases, former president Pervez Musharraf Tuesday petitioned a court to allow him to leave Pakistan to visit his ailing mother in Dubai.

The application asked the Sindh High Court to strike Musharraf's name from the Interior Ministry's Exit Control List. His lawyer A Q Halepota said Musharraf wants to go to Dubai to meet his 95-year-old mother, who is seriously ill and unable to travel.

Different courts have confirmed the 70-year-old Musharraf's bail in all cases against him and he wants to be with his mother after being freed, Halepota said.

Musharraf's inclusion in the Exit Control List is a violation of his fundamental rights, he added.

The application further asked the High Court to modify an earlier order restraining Musharraf from leaving Pakistan without permission from courts hearing cases against him.

A division bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah issued notices to the Deputy Attorney General and Sindh's Advocate General and Prosecutor General, asking them to respond to the application at the next hearing on November 18.

In Islamabad, Musharraf's spokesperson Aasia Ishaque said he was exercising his constitutional right to travel out of Pakistan.

"He is exercising his constitutional right as he has received bail in all the cases. In his plea, it is mentioned that his mother is very ill and he would like to visit her," Ishaque told PTI. After being held for over six months at his sprawling farmhouse in Islamabad, Musharraf was released from house arrest last week when he got bail in a case related to the killing of cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi during a military operation against the radical Lal Masjid in 2007.

However, he remains under guard at the farmhouse because of Taliban threats to his life.

Musharraf has also been granted bail in three other cases over the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and the imposition of emergency in 2007.

He was arrested soon after he returned to Pakistan in March after years of self-exile to contest the general election. A court subsequently barred him from contesting polls for life.

Despite getting bail in the four major cases, things might not go smoothly for Musharraf as the Federal Investigation

Agency's probe against him over the 2007 emergency is in its final stages.

The FIA will seek to question Musharraf on a charge of treason for imposing emergency, official sources have said.

The FIA will also seek to put him on the Exit Control List as his statement has not yet been recorded, a source said.

There has been speculation in recent months that a deal would be reached for Musharraf to leave Pakistan as this would spare the military from the embarrassment of having its former chief tried by civilian courts. Musharraf's aides have insisted he will fight all the cases against him.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/musharraf-asks-court-to-let-him-travel-to-dubai/1194037/0

Musharraf freed from house arrest, can’t leave Pak

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf was declared a free man on Wednesday evening after a local court approved his bail in a murder case, the latest of a string of cases that he was facing after he returned to Pakistan. District and Sessions judge granted Musharraf bail against the alleged murder of former cleric of Lal Masjid Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and his mother during the Lal Masjid operation in 2007 on the payment of surety bonds.

The former president had already obtained bail in three cases which include the Benazir Bhutto murder case, the Akbar Bugti murder case and Judges detention case.

Legal experts say that a high treason case is still pending against the former Pakistan strongman and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has yet to start formal proceedings against him.

This may possibly be an impediment in Musharraf being allowed to leave the country.

Some experts maintain that Musharraf is still on the Exit Control List but he can freely move within the country. However, his lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri claimed that per his reading of the laws, Muhsarraf’s name was no longer on the ECL and can leave the country. Despite the bail, Musharraf is likely to remain under heavy guard at his farmhouse owing to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan threats issued against him.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/musharraf-freed-from-house-arrest-can-t-leave-pak/article1-1148111.aspx

Former Pak President Pervez Musharraf arrested in the Lal Masjid case

Looks like Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharaff's happiness is short lived. A day after he was granted bail by the court in three other cases and was cleared to leave the country, Musharraf was re-arrested in the Lal Masjid case on Thursday. 

Muhammed Rizwan, senior police official from Islamabad said that the former president was put under house arrest in a case involving the military operation on an Islamabad mosque. "We will present him before a court on Friday," he said. 

According to reports, a complaint against Musharraf was registered last month in the Lal Masijd case, where he was personally responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people when he ordered commandos to storm the masjid in 2007.

Musharraf was ousted due to protests in the country and went into exile in 2008 but returned to Pakistan this year. According to reports, there were hundreds who testified against Musharraf saying that the operation in Lal Masjid had taken place on his directives.

Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/international/former-pak-president-pervez-mushrrraf-arrested-in-the-lal-masjid-case-1322467.html

Musharraf granted bail in Bugti murder case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to former military dictator and president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the murder case of former Balochistan chief minister and chieftain of the Bugti tribe Nawab Muhammad Akbar Bugti.

According to Reuters, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, the head of lawyers panel, claimed after the bail that his client was a free person and could go to Dubai any time.The former army chief had filed an appeal in the apex court against the Balochistan High Court’s rejection of his bail application in the Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani and Justice Musheer Alam, granted him bail after finding no substantial evidence to involve him in the Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder.

The court directed the former president to deposit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each with the Registrar of its office for bail.During the course of hearing, Jamil Bugti, son of Nawab Akbar Bugti who was a complainant in the instant case, did not turn up to attend the proceedings.

Raja Ibrahim Sati, the counsel for the former president while arguing before the court, contended that the bail application of his client was either rejected by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) or the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on technical grounds.

The learned counsel further submitted that the BHC was of the view that since Musharraf was in Islamabad and not in the BHC territorial jurisdiction and he had not appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), Quetta, therefore, the former president was not entitled to bail.

Ibrahim Sati contended that Pervez Musharraf had been duly arrested by the Balochistan Police in the Akbar Bugti murder case and he was in the lock-up in that case for the last four to five months in the federal capital. He contended that the former president was not yet shifted to Balochistan due to security reasons.

Sati argued that his client had already filed a plea before the Anti-Terrorism Court, Quetta, seeking an exemption from appearing in person in the instant case. While justifying the arguments, he contended that for grant of bail, no physical appearance of his client was required in Quetta.

During the proceedings, the court asked Additional Prosecutor General Balochistan Tahir Iqbal Khattak to provide materials, proving the petitioner’s involvement in the criminal conspiracy against Akbar Bugti.

“What materials do you have against the petitioner to substantiate his involvement in the conspiracy against Akbar Bugti?” Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany asked the additional prosecutor general.

“Musharraf was accused of being part of a criminal conspiracy against Nawab Akbar Bugti,” Tahir Khattak replied, adding that the former president was the chief executive and a CD recording was available with the complainant’s counsel displaying the attack on Bugti’s home.

He further contended that Musharraf had attacked the house of Akbar Bugti due to which the Bugti tribe chieftain had to take refuge in the mountains.“This is a criminal matter and you have to give us some solid materials against the petitioner,” Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk asked the additional prosecutor general.The court then stated that nosubstantial evidence was available to implicate Musharraf in the murder case.

Meanwhile, the court granted bail to former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf directing him to deposit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each with the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court and disposed of the matter.

Musharraf had been involved in two high profile cases, including the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the judges’ detention case. However, the courts had granted him bails in these cases.

Musharraf was, however, placed in house arrest at his luxury farmhouse in Chak Shahzad after the Balochistan Police arrested him in the murder case of Nawab Akbar Bugti. Apart from these cases, Musharraf had been made respondent in the Lal Masjid case pending before the apex court. Similarly, some identical petitions were also pending before the Supreme Court, seeking trial of the former military dictator for high treason.

In pursuance of the court’s order, the government on June 26 had informed the court about the initiation of an inquiry against the former military dictator for subverting and abrogating the Constitution by imposing emergency rule on November 3, 2007.

Attorney General Munir A Malik filed a reply in the Supreme Court, stating, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the Interior Secretary to order the Director General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to constitute a special team of senior officers to initiate an inquiry relating to the acts of General (R) Pervez Musharraf of November 3, 2007 that may amount to high treason under Article 6 of the Constitution and to finalise as expeditiously as possible the statement of the case to be put up by the federal government before the special court to be constituted under the Criminal Law Amendment (Special Courts) Act, 1976.

“On the completion of the investigations, the federal government shall file the requisite complaint under Section 5 of the Criminal Law Amendment (Special Courts Act, 1976) and take steps to constitute the special court in accordance with Section 4 of the said Act for the trial of the offence,” the reply stated.

Meanwhile, soon after the court granted bail to former military dictator, his lawyers told reporters that he was now a free man and he could go everywhere, even abroad.Reuters adds: Musharraf could leave Pakistan as soon as Thursday after a decision by the SC paving the way for his release, his lawyer and a central leader of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said.

“The jail staff present at his house will pack up and leave as soon as they get the orders from the lower court,” Ahmed Raza Kasuri, who heads the Musharraf defence team, told Reuters adding: “Musharraf can fly to Dubai tomorrow once these legal formalities are completed.”

Credits: thenews

Pervez Musharraf 'free to leave Pakistan' after court grants bail

Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s former military ruler, is to be released from house arrest and plans to leave the country, according to his lawyer.

Pakistan's highest court granted bail to Pervez Musharraf, the country’s former president, on Wednesday paving the way for his release from house arrest.

His lawyer said he was now free to leave the country but would return to answer the charges against him.

Mr Musharraf has suffered a turbulent time since returning in March to fight elections. His party failed to gain support, he was barred from standing in the polls and was eventually arrested on charges related to his period in office.

He was accused of the murder of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was assassinated in 2007, and of crimes related to his final days in power, when he sacked or suspended judges.

He had already been granted bail in both cases and on Wednesday was granted bail in a third case, relating to the alleged murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti, a separatist leader in the south-western province of Baluchistan.

Credits: telegraph