Rasheed murder case: Court summons Musharraf’s guarantors

ISLAMABAD:

A district and sessions court on Wednesday summoned the guarantors of former president Pervez Musharraf after he failed to appear in the Abdul Rashid Ghazi murder case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Pervaizul Qadir Memon has sought explanation from Musharraf’s guarantors, Captain (retd) Nazir Ahmed and Jan Muhammad, as to why he failed to appear before the court.

The guarantors had submitted sureties along with bonds and undertakings that Musharraf would appear before the court during trial proceedings. Musharraf was granted bail in the Ghazi murder in November 2013 but has not attended court proceedings since then.

When the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, Musharraf’s counsel informed the court that his client could not appear before the court due to illness.

Meanwhile, the Aabpara police informed the court that since Musharraf was not present at his Chak Shahzad residence, his arrest warrants could not be executed.

The judge remarked that the warrants against the former military ruler were still effective. Subsequently, the court summoned Musharraf’s guarantors on April 2.

Musharraf’s counsel has challenged the trial court’s verdict of arrests warrants before the Islamabad High Court. IHC Justice Aamer Farooq had directed Musharraf’s counsel to submit attested copies of the warrants as well as other documents within three days.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2016.