Legal cases: Musharraf granted protective bail
Former military ruler vows to return on March 24, come what may.
A file photo of former preisdent of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) accepted Pervez Musharraf’s three separate applications for protective bail on Friday, as the former military ruler reiterated that he would return to Pakistan on March 24.
He plans to return to Pakistan to lead his party – the all Pakistan Muslim League (APML) – in the 2013 parliamentary elections.
Musharraf is facing a string of legal cases, including the 2007 assassination of Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and the killing of Baloch chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti.
SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam granted Musharraf a 10-day bail on a petition filed by his daughter Dr Ayla Raza. The bail was granted in a case involving ‘house arrest’ of superior court judges who refused to take fresh oath under the Provisional Constitution Order 2007.
Separately, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah of the SHC granted a 15-day protective bail to the former military ruler in the cases of Benazir’s assassination and Bugti’s killing.
Musharraf will have to appear before the courts within the protection period to acquire a bail, or else he will have to face arrest once the protective period ends.
Barrister Salman Safdar and Advocate Abdul Qadir Halepota represented Musharraf at the SHC.
Outside the courtroom, APML activists flashed victory signs and chanted “Long Live Musharraf” and “Musharraf will come back, he will bring prosperity”.
In Dubai, Musharraf said that he would definitely return home on Sunday (March 24) and that he was prepared to risk any danger to his life.
“Two hundred percent! I am travelling back to Pakistan,” he told AFP in an interview. “I will go by land, air or sea ... even to the peril of my life, this is the oath I took for the country.”
He conceded that his powerbase was weak, saying he was open to the prospect of a coalition with other parties campaigning for change, including former cricket star Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
“If I (alone) cannot (succeed) then one must get into coalition. And when you talk about coalition ... those who have capability may be contributing towards better governance, should get into (the) coalition,” he said.
Musharraf said he will stand personally in four constituencies, but when asked how many seats the APML could realistically win, he said: “Frankly I don’t know. I think I will have a good judgment when I go there.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2013.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) accepted Pervez Musharraf’s three separate applications for protective bail on Friday, as the former military ruler reiterated that he would return to Pakistan on March 24.
He plans to return to Pakistan to lead his party – the all Pakistan Muslim League (APML) – in the 2013 parliamentary elections.
Musharraf is facing a string of legal cases, including the 2007 assassination of Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and the killing of Baloch chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti.
SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam granted Musharraf a 10-day bail on a petition filed by his daughter Dr Ayla Raza. The bail was granted in a case involving ‘house arrest’ of superior court judges who refused to take fresh oath under the Provisional Constitution Order 2007.
Separately, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah of the SHC granted a 15-day protective bail to the former military ruler in the cases of Benazir’s assassination and Bugti’s killing.
Musharraf will have to appear before the courts within the protection period to acquire a bail, or else he will have to face arrest once the protective period ends.
Barrister Salman Safdar and Advocate Abdul Qadir Halepota represented Musharraf at the SHC.
Outside the courtroom, APML activists flashed victory signs and chanted “Long Live Musharraf” and “Musharraf will come back, he will bring prosperity”.
In Dubai, Musharraf said that he would definitely return home on Sunday (March 24) and that he was prepared to risk any danger to his life.
“Two hundred percent! I am travelling back to Pakistan,” he told AFP in an interview. “I will go by land, air or sea ... even to the peril of my life, this is the oath I took for the country.”
He conceded that his powerbase was weak, saying he was open to the prospect of a coalition with other parties campaigning for change, including former cricket star Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
“If I (alone) cannot (succeed) then one must get into coalition. And when you talk about coalition ... those who have capability may be contributing towards better governance, should get into (the) coalition,” he said.
Musharraf said he will stand personally in four constituencies, but when asked how many seats the APML could realistically win, he said: “Frankly I don’t know. I think I will have a good judgment when I go there.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2013.