Ghazi murder case: Islamabad court orders confiscation of Musharraf's property

In its verdict on the 2007 Lal Masjid operation, the court also declares former military ruler a proclaimed offender

ISLAMABAD: A sessions court trying former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over a deadly raid on Islamabad's radical Lal Masjid passed an order Saturday confiscating his property, a lawyer said.

Former president Musharraf, who left Pakistan for Dubai in March for what was described as urgent medical treatment, is facing a string of court cases connected to his 1999 to 2008 rule.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (west) Pervaizul Qadir Memon ordered confiscation of Musharraf’s properties under Section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was one of more than 100 people killed when military troops stormed Lal Masjid in 2007.



The court declared the former military ruler a proclaimed offender and confiscated surety bonds of Rs200,000 which were submitted by his guarantors - Capt (retd) Nazir Ahmed and Jan Mohammad - when Musharraf was granted bail by a sessions court in November 2013.

The judge also dismissed an application submitted by Musharraf’s lawyers saying the army acted in aid of civil power to carry out the operation, during which Ghazi was killed.

Akhtar Shah, counsel for Musharraf, had maintained during the previous hearings that as per Section 132 of the CrPC, no criminal case could be filed against any official of the armed forces when they are acting in aid of civil power except with the sanction of the government.

The judge, however, described the application as ‘infructuous’ in its decision on Saturday.

"The court... today passed an order that his property be confiscated," a lawyer for the Red Mosque, Tariq Asad, told AFP.

"Our next move will be to put pressure on the interior ministry to bring Musharraf back home so he can face all cases against him," he added.

A special court in July which is trying Musharraf for treason, issued a similar order in July but little has resulted from that verdict.

"Today's court order will help mount pressure on the government," to take action, Asad said.

Musharraf ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999. He resigned in 2008 to avoid possible impeachment and went into exile overseas.

He returned in 2013 in an attempt to contest elections but was barred from taking part in the polls and from leaving the country while facing a barrage of legal cases.



The travel ban was lifted in March.

In January this year Musharraf was acquitted over the 2006 killing of a Baloch rebel leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti.

But four cases against him remain -- one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, as well as those alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, the assassination of opposition leader Bhutto and the deadly raid on the Lal Masjid.