Friday, April 19, 2013

PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN LAUDED ALLY OF U.S., NOW A PRISONER DENIED BAIL, BECOMING A FUGITIVE, FATE OR FOLLY??

''Look who is running! Musharraf is running!'' 

chak-shahzad-AFP-670x430 

Musharraf's farmhouse at Chak Shahzad was declared sub-jail on Friday after the former military ruler surrendered himself to the police.

April 19, 2013
ISLAMABAD: General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s farmhouse at Chak Shahzad on the outskirts of Islamabad was declared sub-jail on Friday after the former military ruler surrendered himself to the police.
He moreover appeared in the court of a judicial magistrate in Islamabad after which he departed for his farmhouse, a sub-jail at present.
Musharraf had been on the run after fleeing from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in the wake of the cancellation of his bail on Thursday.  Twenty-four hours had passed since Musharraf’s escape from the IHC. 

Musharraf bail was cancelled in the judges’ detention case by IHC’s Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Thursday.
In a written judgement printed in English, the IHC ordered that: “He (Musharraf) be taken into custody and dealt with in accordance with law.”
Earlier on Thursday, All Pakistan Muslim League’s secretary general Mohammad Amjad said: “If his (Musharraf’s) house is declared a sub-jail…a request for bail after arrest would be submitted.”
Amjad moreover said that even if Musharraf was arrested, the APML would take part in the May 11 election. 
Judges’ detention case
The case is based on an FIR against the retired general registered in August 11, 2009 on the complaint of Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam Ghumman 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 on November 3, 2007.
The case is one of three against Musharraf in Pakistani courts. He is also accused of involvement in a conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and over the 2006 killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Khan Bugti.
Musharraf returned to Pakistan last month after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest the May 11 general election.
Election officials had barred Musharraf from running for the National Assembly earlier this week, effectively derailing his attempts to regain a place in politics by standing at the polls.

Although Musharraf’s legal battles have provided an electrifying sideshow in the election race, he commands scant popular support and the outcome of the drama is unlikely to have much impact on the final results.

http://dawn.com/2013/04/19/musharraf-surrenders-to-authorities-appears-in-court/

Pervez Musharraf arrested from his farmhouse in Islamabad

Agencies : Islamabad, Fri Apr 19 2013, 09:29 hrs

RELATED
Pervez MusharrafPervez Musharraf had fled court in a speeding vehicle on Thursday to avoid arrest after his bail was revoked in a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power over five years ago. (AP)
Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been arrested from his farmhouse in Islamabad on Friday.
Musharraf had fled court in a speeding vehicle on Thursday to avoid arrest after his bail was revoked in a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power over five years ago.
The harried escape broadcast live on Pakistani TV marked a new low in Musharraf's troubled return from exile last month to seek a political comeback in the May 11 parliamentary election.
Musharraf had made his exit with the help of bodyguards, who pushed him past policemen and paramilitary soldiers and helped him into a black SUV that sped off with a member of his security team hanging on the side of the vehicle. Lawyers taunted the 69-year-old as he roared away, yelling, ''Look who is running! Musharraf is running!''
The car carrying the former military strongman dashed to his luxury farmhouse, which is protected by high walls, razor wire and guard towers. Dozens of police and elite commandos blocked the main road that runs to the compound on the outskirts of Islamabad, keeping a crowd of journalists and onlookers at bay. About 20 Musharraf supporters held banners and shouted slogans.
None of the security forces protecting the compound made any move to arrest Musharraf, likely because they were awaiting orders from senior officials trying to figure out how to deal with a delicate situation. Musharraf's legal team said they would appeal the arrest warrant in the Supreme Court.

Courtesy:
S. Kalyanaraman

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