After facing legal wrangling and being under detention for over eight months, Pakistan’s former military ruler and president General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf will walk free on Wednesday after court accepted his bail surety bonds in 4th case filed against him.
Islamabad, Nov 6/Nationalturk – Pakistan’s former military ruler and president General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf will walk free on Wednesday as he submitted surety bonds after the court granted him bill in the 4th case related to murder of cleric Ghazi Abdul Rashid, who was killed in a military operation on Lal Masjid in Pakistan capital in 2007.
“Musharraf’s bail of two surety bonds of Rs0.1 million each was submitted to Additional District and Sessions Judge, Islamabad earlier today,” the former military ruler’s lawyers said.
Court had accepted Musharraf’s bail on Monday
On Monday, Additional district and sessions judge Islamabad Wajid Ali had accepted the post-arrest bail application of Musharraf on two surety bonds of Rs 0.1 million each in the fourth case which he has been facing after his return to Pakistan in March this year.
On November 4, a trial court had granted Musharraf bail in connection with the murder of cleric Ghazi Abdul Rashid as there was not enough evidence linking him to the case. The judge had said a police joint investigation had deemed the evidence insufficient, declaring Musharraf innocent.
The former military ruler was arrested on October 10 on the order of Islamabad High Court over the alleged murder Ghazi and his mother during a military operation in Lal Masjid in Pakistan capital in 2007.
Musharraf had ordered 2007 military operation on Lal Masjid
Musharraf, who was then army chief and President, had ordered the crackdown on extremists holed up in the Lal Masjid in 2007. About 100 people, most of them extremists, were killed in the operation.
The former military ruler had filed an application before the Additional District and Sessions Court and sought bail in the case.
All the jail staff will now leave Musharraf’s five-acre sprawling farm house at Chak Shahzad on the outskirts of Islamabad that had been turned into a sub-jail. It was notified as a sub jail and will now be de-notified.
300 security men to guard Musharraf’s farm house
Sources said 300 odd police, paramilitary and commandos guarding the former military ruler will continue to guard him. “The security men won’t be removed as Musharraf faces life threat from terrorists of Pakistan Taliban and Alqaeda. The Taliban have threatened to kill Musharraf”.
They said now that Musharraf has been granted bail in all the four cases filed against him, he can freely move within the country. “However, he cannot leave country at present because his names figures in Exit Control List (ECL), which means he cannot leave the country without the approval of the government.”
Sources said since he is out on bail, he may move court to get his name cleared from ECL. “This will allow him to leave country for good”.
Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March this year
The former military ruler returned to Pakistan in March this year to run for May general election, vowing to “save” the country from economic collapse and militancy. However, he was barred from contesting the election, which was won by Nawaz Sharif, the man whom he had ousted from power in 1999 in a bloodless coup. Musharraf resigned in August 2008 to avoid impeachment by the parliament.
The former military ruler faces murder trials over assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who died in military operation in 2006. He has also been charged over his attempt to sack the higher judiciary in 2007. However, the courts have granted him bail in all the three cases.
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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk Pakistan News
