Judges’ detention case: SC dismisses plea seeking cancellation of Musharraf’s bail

Petitioner was absent and did not pursue his application.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking cancellation of bail orders of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

The court passed these orders because the petitioner Aslam Ghuman, who had filed the plea against Musharraf’s bail grant, did not pursue his application further.

An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench had earlier granted bail to Musharraf in judges’ detention case and the same petitioner who had then filed an application for cancellation of the bail, had withdrawn it then.

Close aides of the former president told The Express Tribune that Ghuman received bribes from Musharraf for withdrawing his application from IHC. Following this Ghuman again approached the apex court for cancellation of the same but remained absent from the court during the hearing.

Sources said that the petitioner had again reached an agreement with Musharraf’s counsels and gone abroad to give space for favourable orders.

In a separate application, advocate Ilyas Siddiqi has sought bail for Musharraf in the Akbar Bugti murder case. Earlier, the Balochistan High Court had refused to grant bail to Musharraf although it had granted bail to others accused in the case. Siddiqi had filed this application on the pretext that the court did not treat all the respondents equally.

A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, observed that the case was unique and the first of its kind.

The lawyer was asked to argue the case next week with substantial reasoning as to why the Supreme Court should set aside an order given by the provincial high court.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2013.