Musharraf Returns to Pakistan

waltky · Mar 24, 2013

Musharraf: 'I have come to save Pakistan'..

Musharraf Greeted in Pakistan by Threats and Small Crowds
March 24, 2013 Pakistans onetime military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, ended four years of self-imposed exile on Sunday in hopes of carving out a political future, but he received an unremarkable welcome as he landed at the airport in Karachi.

General Musharraf, who resigned as president in August 2008 under threat of impeachment and left the country the following April, arrived early Sunday afternoon on a flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A small crowd gathered at the airport and shouted slogans in his support. Mr. Musharraf appeared upbeat as he arrived. I respect your emotions, he said, waving to the crowd. Thank you, thank you, he said as his supporters shouted, Long live Musharraf! I have returned. People used to think that I would not return, but I have come back, Mr. Musharraf said. I am not scared of anyone but God. I have put my life in danger, but I want to save Pakistan, he added.

While the former president has survived multiple threats against him by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, his planned political rally on Sunday did not. Rashid Qureshi, a retired general and a leader of Mr. Musharrafs political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, said a large welcome rally planned in Karachi had been derailed because of security concerns. The government informed us that there was a serious threat to General Musharrafs life, and the Taliban were going to try to kill him by a multipronged attack, including snipers and suicide bombers, Mr. Qureshi said Sunday night. He said the government gave its permission for the rally too late to inform everyone. Still, Mr. Qureshi said many supporters went to the planned site of the rally, Jinnahs Mausoleum, the tomb of Pakistans founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. But efforts to bring everyone to the airport did not succeed, Mr. Qureshi said.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani president, addressed supporters in Karachi on Sunday upon his return from a self-imposed exile.

He said that the authorities did not allow Mr. Musharraf to speak outside the airport, but that he made brief remarks to the crowd inside. Mr. Musharraf plans to meet with party officials on Monday, Mr. Qureshi said. The anticlimactic homecoming pointed out at least in part the many questions hanging over what role, if any, Mr. Musharraf could play in Pakistans changing political environment, given the security and legal hurdles in front of him. During his tenure as president, Mr. Musharraf battled with Islamist extremists who have continued to gain strength and challenge the state, especially in the countrys restive northwestern regions. Numerous court challenges await Mr. Musharraf, and before returning he managed to arrange pre-arrest bail in cases in which he faces criminal charges in the deaths of the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and a Baluch leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti. He has denied the charges.

Not least of the questions for Mr. Musharraf is how much political support he can expect in a country that has largely moved on since his departure. Indeed, news of Mr. Musharrafs return was nearly overshadowed by the announcement on Sunday that a caretaker prime minister had been appointed a decision keenly awaited by political analysts. Pakistans chief election commissioner announced that Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, a retired justice, would serve as prime minister and lead the government until May 11, when general elections are scheduled. Mr. Khoso, 84, has served as a chief justice of Baluchistan Province, and his appointment was widely welcomed in political circles. My first priority is to hold fair, free and transparent elections, Mr. Khoso said, speaking with reporters in Islamabad.

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Exiled Pakistani ex-president home to 'save' nation despite death threat
Sun March 24, 2013 - Musharraf vows to remain in Pakistan; He plans to lead his party in elections; He's been in self-imposed exile since resigning as president in 2008; Pakistani authorities have vowed to arrest him on return; Taliban threaten to kill him

In his first address since returning to Pakistan from self-exile, former President Pervez Musharraf declared his intention to run for office, saying he defied risks to "save" the country. Musharraf landed in Karachi on Sunday after more than four years in exile. He faces criminal charges, and the Taliban have vowed to unleash a "death squad" to assassinate him. However, he said, he does not plan to flee again. "I have put my life in danger and have come to Pakistan -- to you to be the savior of this country," he said at the airport. "I have come to save Pakistan."

He chided people who had doubted that he would return. "There were rumors that I would not come -- where are those people now?" he asked. "I am here. I have returned." At the airport, crowds danced, waved the nation's green flag and chanted Musharraf's name. Some people carried giant posters, plastered with his face. "Inshallah (God willing) we will be successful if I have your support," he said. After his statement, he was whisked away to an undisclosed location for safety reasons. Police hovered nearby, guns slung from their shoulders.

Complicated return

Musharraf resigned as president of the south Asian nation five years ago and went into exile in London and Dubai. He hopes to reassert his influence and lead his party in May elections. His return comes with complications. Government officials have said he would be arrested as soon as he sets foot in the nation while the Pakistani Taliban have vowed to assassinate him.

However, his party says it has taken pre-emptive measures to ward off a potential arrest. "Musharraf has been granted bail in advance of his arrival to Pakistan. We have made sure that he is not arrested and his return home will be smooth," said Jawed Siddiqui, a member of the former president's party, All Pakistan Muslim League. His lawyers paid an unknown amount of bail, which means Musharraf will not be arrested for at least 15 days, but must appear in court.

Fear of the unknown
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waltky · Mar 29, 2013

Granny says dat's what's known as a Bush Welcome...

Lawyer throws shoe at ex-Pakistan president
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 - An angry lawyer yesterday threw a shoe at former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf as he headed to court to face legal charges following his return to the country after four years in self-imposed exile, police said.

Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup in 1999 but was forced to step down nearly a decade later, is disliked by many lawyers throughout Pakistan because of his decision to suspend the chief justice of the Supreme Court while he was in office. The lawyer tossed his shoe at Musharraf as the former military strongman was walking down a hallway in the court building in the city of Karachi surrounded by a mob of security, supporters and journalists, police official Nasir Aftab said. The shoe did not hit Musharraf, and the lawyer was not detained because no charges were filed against him, Aftab said.

Local TV channels showed video of the incident, but it was impossible to identify the show thrower because he was hidden behind part of the corridor. Following the incident, judges granted Musharraf an extension of pre-emptive bail in three cases against him, meaning he cannot be immediately arrested. Two of the cases involve the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the killing of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch nationalist leader who died in August 2006 after a standoff with the Pakistani military. Musharraf was granted an extension of 21 days in those two cases.

He was granted a 15-day extension in connection with a third case, in which he is accused of illegally removing a number of judges at the time, including the Supreme Court chief justice, said Shahadat Awan, the prosecutor general for Sindh Province. Musharraf was also restricted from leaving the country during the period that his bail was extended, Pakistani state TV reported. Musharraf returned from exile on Sunday, seeking a possible political comeback despite the legal charges against him and death threats from Taliban militants. However, he was only met by a couple thousand reporters when his flight from Dubai landed in Karachi, and analysts have said they do not expect his party to attract much support in parliamentary elections scheduled for May 11.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2013/03/30/2003558380
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waltky · Apr 16, 2013

Musharraf defeated before he runs...

Pakistan's Musharraf disqualified from election
Apr 16,`13 -- High court judges disqualified former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday from running in the parliamentary election, likely ending any hope of a political comeback.

The ruling was the latest blow for Musharraf, who has faced paltry public support, a raft of legal challenges and Taliban death threats since he returned to Pakistan last month after years in self-imposed exile. Many experts predicted this would be Musharraf's fate if he came back and have been scratching their heads at what drove his decision. Some have speculated he misjudged how much public backing he would get, while others guessed he was simply homesick. Musharraf received a rare piece of good news over a week ago when a judge in the remote northern district of Chitral approved his bid to run in the May 11 election, even though he was disqualified in three other districts for suspending the constitution and sacking senior judges while ruling Pakistan.

Pakistan's political system allows a candidate to run for multiple seats simultaneously. Lawyers challenged the Chitral decision, and on Tuesday the high court in the main northwestern city of Peshawar disqualified Musharraf from running in the district, said two of the lawyers who raised objections, Taufiq Asif and Rao Abdur Rahim. Asif challenged Musharraf's candidacy because of his actions while in power, while Rahim said there were procedural flaws with the former military ruler's nomination. Aasia Ishaq, a spokeswoman for Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League party, condemned the court's ruling and said the entire process was "biased." "They are just targeting Pervez Musharraf," Ishaq said. She said the party would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court and field candidates for nearly 200 national and provincial assembly seats even if Musharraf is disqualified.

Ashraf Gujar, a Pakistani constitutional expert, said he thought there was only a "remote" chance that the Supreme Court would overturn the ruling. Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 and ruled for nearly a decade before he was forced to step down in 2008. He came back to Pakistan last month to stage a political comeback after four years in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai. But it has been a bumpy return. Only a couple thousand people turned out at the airport in the southern city of Karachi to greet the former military strongman when his plane from Dubai landed on March 24, a sign of how little support analysts say he enjoys in the country. A few days later, an angry lawyer threw a shoe at Musharraf as he walked through a court building in Karachi.

Musharraf faces a variety of legal charges, including some related to the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He has not been arrested because he arranged pre-arrest bail before he arrived, a feature of Pakistan's legal system. The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions from lawyers alleging Musharraf committed treason while in office, an offense that can be punished by death or life in prison. He has been barred from leaving the country while there are legal challenges against him. Amid all of this, the Pakistani Taliban have threatened to assassinate Musharraf. The militants released a video the day before Musharraf returned to Pakistan saying they had set up a special death squad to target him. There is also concern that attacks by the Taliban and other militants could hamper next month's election.

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waltky · Apr 18, 2013

Pakistan Court Orders Musharraf Arrest...

Pakistan's Musharraf on the run after arrest order
18 Apr.`13 Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf and his security team pushed past policemen and sped away from a court in the country's capital on Thursday to avoid arrest after his bail was revoked in a case in which he is accused of treason.

Local TV broadcast footage of the dramatic scene in which Musharraf jumped into a black SUV and escaped as a member of his security team hung to the side of the vehicle. He sped away to his large compound on the outskirts of Islamabad that is protected by high walls, razor wire and guard towers. This week has gone from bad to worse for Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999 when he was serving as army chief and spent nearly a decade in power before being forced to step down in 2008. He returned last month after four years in self-imposed exile to make a political comeback despite legal challenges and Taliban death threats, but has since faced paltry public support.

Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf arrives under tight security to address his party supporters at his house in Islamabad, Pakistan. Musharraf and his security team pushed past policemen and sped away from a court in the countrys capital on Thursday after his bail was revoked in a case in which he is accused of treason.

A court in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Tuesday disqualified Musharraf from running in the parliamentary election scheduled for May 11, likely squashing his hopes for political comeback. The case before the Islamabad High Court on Thursday involved Musharraf's decision in 2007 to detain senior judges, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, when he declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution. The decision outraged many Pakistanis, and further fueled a nationwide protest movement by lawyers that eventually resulted in Musharraf stepping down under the threat of impeachment.

Lawyers shouted, "Look who is running, Musharraf is running!" as Musharraf fled the court Thursday. Before he returned to the country, Musharraf obtained pre-arrest bail for the judges' case and two others, meaning he could not be arrested when he landed a feature of Pakistan's legal system. The Islamabad High Court refused to extend that bail on Thursday and ordered his arrest, said police officer Ali Asghar. The court previously agreed to extend his bail in the case for six days on April 12. The same judge rejected a further bail extension Thursday, saying the case was "too serious" and must proceed, said one of Musharraf's lawyers, Malik Qamar Afzal.

Policemen were deployed at the court who could have detained the former military ruler, but he managed to escape, said Asghar, the police officer. Many of the policemen and paramilitary soldiers at the court did not seem to try to prevent Musharraf from leaving as he pushed past them. Another of Musharraf's lawyers, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, complained that the court didn't listen to their arguments. "It is a one-sided decision," said Kasuri.

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Musharraf flees after court orders arrest
18 April 2013: Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf today fled a court amid high drama after judges ordered his immediate arrest for treason, dealing a fresh blow to his plans to stage a political comeback in next month's general elections.

His arrest appeared imminent after his lawyers failed to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court's order for his arrest. Mr Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan on 24 March after a nearly four-year long self-imposed exile abroad to contest the 11 May general elections, is currently holed up in his Chak Shahzad farmhouse on the outskirts of the federal capital. Police in large numbers have reached the farmhouse. Mr Musharraf, 69, who appeared in High Court this morning to seek extension of his interim bail, was whisked away by his bodyguards, all army commandos, before the police could take him into custody after the court rejected his plea in the case relating to sacking of 60 judges during his emergency rule in 2007. He faces allegations of subverting the constitution by declaring emergency and hence committed treason.

Mr Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui ordered police to arrest him immediately. Even as police tried to reach the former President, his bodyguards rushed him out of the courtroom to his black SUV. Musharraf's motorcade then drove out of the court complex before police could act. A large contingent of police and paramilitary personnel deployed at the complex to provide security to Musharraf also did not act as the former dictator's security team of army commandos escorted him out of the courtroom. Musharraf's convoy drove from the court to his farmhouse at on the outskirts of Islamabad. As the former military ruler's arrest appeared imminent, Mohammad Amjad, a senior leader of his All Pakistan Muslim League party, said a team of legal experts was examining the court's order.

Mr Amjad said Musharraf will act according to the law and if the legal experts deemed it necessary, he would surrender to the authorities. Soon after Mr Musharraf returned to his farmhouse, a contingent of Pakistan Rangers personnel deployed to protect him left the residence. Some analysts contended this was a sign that the security establishment would not back Mr Musharraf. Sources said that the government was considering a proposal to declare Mr Musharraf's farmhouse a sub-jail so that he could be detained at his residence. The authorities believe it would be better to hold Mr Musharraf at his farmhouse in view of serious threats to his life, the sources said.

Last week, Mr Musharraf was granted interim bail for six days after he surrendered to the Islamabad High Court in connection with the case over the detention of judges in 2007. The same court had earlier declared him a proclaimed offender or fugitive in the case. During today's hearing, Deputy Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Jahangir told the court that Mr Musharraf had been granted interim bail on the condition that he would cooperate with police officials investigating the case. Mr Justice Siddiqui said that Mr Musharraf had been accused of destroying the judicial system and he was bound to cooperate in the investigation. The judge was then told by the investigating officer that Mr Musharraf had not come to the police station or cooperated with the probe.

More http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=452683&catid=37
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waltky · Apr 20, 2013

Pervez Musharraf Arrested In Islamabad...

Musharraf in police cusody in Pakistan
Friday 19 April 2013 - The former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf is taken into police custody in Islamabad after fleeing a court which had ordered his detention.

Musharraf, who is attempting a political comeback in parliamentary elections after returning from self-imposed exile, had been under house arrest at his home in the Pakistani capital before he was taken away. His spokesman Mohammed Amjad said he would spend two days on remand at police headquarters before appearing in front of a court. Mr Amjad said police moved the former president because a senior police official had failed to issue the paperwork needed to comply with a judge's order that he should be detained at home.

Yesterday, Musharraf left an Islamabad court in a speeding vehicle following a judge's rejection of his bail application. The former military ruler said on his Facebook page: "These allegations are politically motivated, and I will fight them in the trial court, where the truth will eventually prevail." Pervez Musharraf appeared before a court in Islamabad this morning. The judge ordered police to keep him in custody for two days, after which he would appear before an anti-terrorism court. The case centres on his attempt to have judges placed under house arrest in 2007.

Awkward situation

The decision by the police to arrest Musharraf ends an awkward situation in which he was being protected by security forces while holed up in his house. They are thought to have been awaiting orders from senior officials trying to figure out how to deal with the delicate situation. Pakistan's government has been reluctant to enter the controversy surrounding Musharraf since he returned last month, given his position as a former head of the army, which is considered the most powerful institution in the country.

His return also presents complications for the current army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who may have to decide whether to intervene to protect Musharraf or see him prosecuted. If Musharraf, 69, is sent to prison, it would be the first time an army chief has been put behind bars in the country's 65-year history. Musharraf seized control in a coup in 1999 and spent nearly a decade in power before being forced to step down in 2008.

Return from exile
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Pakistan's Musharraf lashes out after arrest
19 Apr.`13 Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf criticized allegations against him as "politically motivated" Friday, following his arrest in a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power.

Musharraf was arrested a day after he made a dramatic escape from a court in Islamabad on Thursday to avoid being detained. Musharraf fled the Islamabad High Court in a speeding vehicle and holed up in his home on the outskirts of the city after a judge rejected his bail and ordered his arrest. It was a new low in Musharraf's troubled return from self-imposed exile last month to attempt a political comeback in the upcoming parliamentary election. There were conflicting reports about how Musharraf was arrested Friday.

Police said they arrested Musharraf overnight from his home and delivered him to a magistrate in Islamabad on Friday morning. But the secretary general of Musharraf's party, Mohammed Amjad, claimed the former military ruler surrendered himself before the magistrate. Local TV video showed Musharraf entering the court surrounded by a heavy security detachment of police and paramilitary soldiers. The magistrate instructed police to keep Musharraf in their custody and present him before an anti-terrorism court, said one of his lawyers, Malik Qamar Afzal.

Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf addresses his party supporters at his house in Islamabad, Pakistan. Police arrested former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf overnight at his home in the capital, where he had holed up following a dramatic escape from court to avoid being detained, officials said Friday

Police then returned Musharraf to his home on the outskirts of Islamabad, where he was held for several hours under house arrest, said police officer Mohammed Rafique. He was later taken to a rest house the main police headquarters in Islamabad, where he will be held until he is presented before an anti-terrorism court, said two police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. He is expected to appear before a court in the next 48 hours, they said. "These allegations are politically motivated, and I will fight them in the trial court, where the truth will eventually prevail," Musharraf said in a message posted on his Facebook page Friday after he was arrested.

Musharraf's arrest ended an awkward situation in which the former military ruler was being protected by security forces for hours while holed up in his house, but none of them made a move to detain him. They were likely awaiting orders from senior officials trying to figure out how to deal with the delicate situation. Pakistan's temporary caretaker government has been reluctant to wade into the controversy surrounding Musharraf since he returned last month, especially given his position as a former chief of the army, considered the most powerful institution in the country. His return also presents complications for the current army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who may have to decide whether to intervene to protect Musharraf, sparking a new conflict with the judiciary, or watch him be prosecuted. If Musharraf is sent to prison, it would be the first time an army chief has been put behind bars in the country's 65-year history.

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waltky · Apr 20, 2013

Means dey keepin' him in jail where he can't get away an' `cause trouble...

Pakistan judge remands ex-president Musharraf in custody
20 Apr.`13 - A Pakistani court remanded former president Pervez Musharraf in custody for two weeks on Saturday as judges pushed ahead with plans to put the former army chief on trial for a crackdown on the judiciary during his time in office.

Hundreds of lawyers jeered at Musharraf and scuffled with his supporters as he appeared at the Islamabad court a day after police arrested him at his home -- a breach with an unwritten rule in Pakistan that ex-generals are above the law. The judge ruled that he be detained until his next court appearance on May 4. Musharraf's spokesman said authorities had decided that he would be placed under house arrest at his farmhouse residence on the edge of Islamabad. "The government has declared Musharraf's farmhouse as the jail, and he will be moved there from police headquarters," said spokesman Mohammad Amjad.

Pakistan's former president and head of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party Pervez Musharraf (R) is escorted by security officials as he leaves an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad

Musharraf's appearance sparked chaotic scenes in the court complex as police formed a human chain to prevent protesting lawyers --- who chanted "Down with Musharraf" -- from getting closer to the former president. Musharraf left the court after his brief appearance and returned to police headquarters, where he has been detained in a police guest house. Musharraf is facing allegations that he overstepped his powers in a showdown with the judiciary in 2007 when he sacked the chief justice and placed judges under house arrest.

Musharraf's moves against the judiciary earned him widespread scorn among an increasingly activist cadre of lawyers and judges, who have themselves been accused of overstepping the normal limits of judicial authority in their confrontations with the civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Musharraf's office issued a statement late on Friday saying the allegations were baseless and politically motivated. Signaling the seriousness with which they view the case, judges have ruled that Musharraf must face trial in an anti-terrorism court, since detaining judges could be considered an attack on the state.

Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, resigned in 2008 and went into self-imposed exile in London and Dubai. He returned to Pakistan last month to try to stage a return to public life by running for a National Assembly seat in a May 11 parliamentary election, but election officers disqualified him. Instead of triggering a hoped-for groundswell of popular support, Musharraf became the first former army chief to be arrested in Pakistan when police took him into custody at their headquarters on Friday.

CHANGING BALANCE OF POWER
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waltky · Apr 22, 2013

Granny says, "Dat's right - dat ol' has-been shoulda left well enough alone...

Pervez Musharraf's doomed homecoming to Pakistan
19 April 2013 - Since his return to the Pakistan last month, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has stumbled from one problem to another.

His difficulties have gone from bad to worse. Days after he ended his self-imposed exile, he suffered the insult of having a shoe thrown at him in a crowded corridor of a court building in Karachi, narrowly missing him. Just over a week later, the Supreme Court instituted hearings to explore if he could be put on trial for treason. On Tuesday, an election tribunal ended his run for the parliament by declaring he could not be a candidate. And just when the echo of that rejection was subsiding, a court in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday rejected his plea for bail, paving the way for his arrest on Friday.

Mr Musharraf's return comes at a time when Pakistan can ill-afford more instability than it already has

Negative ramifications

Did he really anticipate all this when he decided to return to the country? It is anybody's guess, a question only he can answer. One commentator with knowledge of the military said on a recent television news show that Mr Musharraf certainly took into account the legal challenges he faced in the country, including the possibility of his arrest. Hours after his bail was rejected, one of his lawyers said he was calm and collected, "drinking coffee and smoking a cigar" with his aides at his residence. But that is not how top officials of the country's interim government will be feeling. For them Mr Musharraf has seriously upset the applecart. The primary job of the caretaker government is to hold elections. And it already has its hands full. Militant attacks on mostly secular political forces across the country are already putting a question mark over the government's ability to hold fair elections on time by 11 May.

Arresting Mr Musharraf, a former army chief, is an unprecedented move fraught with negative ramifications which many say only a permanent government, having the support of the voters behind it, ought to be handling. Separately, the judiciary's move to try Mr Musharraf for high treason is another potential distraction, because it is the executive authority that has to institute a case. If the government persists with it, the powerful military will feel threatened because - as the theory goes - the onslaught will not stop with Mr Musharraf. The proactive role of the judiciary over the past two years has seen it visibly encroach on territory normally occupied by the executive. There is no reason why the military should not feel a similar threat.

Sensitive time
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JohnConstantine · Apr 22, 2013

Glad they arrested him, never liked the bugger myself.

mutmekep · Apr 22, 2013

LOL this thread is gold , this guy's luck noses down rapidly.

waltky · Apr 26, 2013

Mushy inna heap o' trouble now...

Pervez Musharraf arrested in Benazir Bhutto case
April 27, 2013 - PAKISTAN'S former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been arrested over the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, prosecutors say.

The Bhutto case is the second of three cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule for which Mr Musharraf has been arrested. The latest arrest came a day after a Pakistani court refused to extend his bail. Mr Musharraf will remain in his villa on the edge of Islamabad, where he is already under a two-week house arrest over his decision to sack judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007.

"Today, FIA (federal investigative agency) formally arrested General Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto case," prosecution lawyer Chaudhry Azhar said. On Wednesday, a court in Rawalpindi, the garrison city twinned to Islamabad where Bhutto was killed, rejected Mr Musharraf's bail application.

Mr Musharraf is accused of conspiracy to murder Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007. Mr Musharraf's government blamed Bhutto's killing on the Pakistani Taliban.

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waltky · Apr 30, 2013

Well, there goes Mushy's hopes fer another term...

Pakistan court bans Musharraf from office for life
Apr 30,`13 -- A Pakistani court on Tuesday banned former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from running for public office for the rest of his life, the latest blow since he returned from exile last month to make a political comeback.

The ban came as Pakistan's powerful army chief pledged in a rare speech that the military would do everything in its power to ensure the parliamentary election is held as scheduled on May 11, despite the Taliban's attempt to disrupt the vote by attacking candidates. One of Musharraf's lawyers, Saad Shibli, said he would go to the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling against his client, claiming the former leader should not be singled out for punishment for his actions while in power since others were involved. "About 500 officials at different levels and institutions were part of Musharraf's actions, and if those actions come under scrutiny, all those people should be involved in this matter," Shibli said.

Judges had previously barred Musharraf from running in the parliamentary election scheduled for May 11. The Peshawar High Court handed down the lifetime ban Tuesday after hearing an appeal by Musharraf's lawyer to allow him to run in the upcoming election. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March after four years in self-imposed exile, but his fortunes have gone from bad to worse since he arrived. He is currently under house arrest in connection with a pair of court cases against him. One involves his decision to fire senior judges, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, while in power. The other relates to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Government prosecutors have accused Musharraf of being involved - allegations he has denied.

Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999 when he was serving as army chief and ruled for nearly a decade. He stepped down in 2008 because of growing discontent with his rule. He returned to Pakistan despite Taliban death threats, but was met by only a few thousand people when his plane landed in the southern port city of Karachi. Analysts said the response showed how little public support he enjoyed in the country. The run-up to next month's parliamentary election has been marred by violence, much of it carried out by the Pakistani Taliban.

On Tuesday, gunmen killed a politician running for a provincial assembly seat in southwestern Baluchistan province in an attack that seemed to be the result of a political rivalry, said local government official Saeed Ahmad. The Taliban have killed at least 60 people in attacks on candidates and party workers since the beginning of April. Many have targeted secular parties, raising concerns the violence could benefit hard-line Islamic politicians and others who take a softer line toward the militants. The military plans to deploy troops on election day to provide security. Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said Tuesday that the soldiers will do everything they can to limit disruptions.

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waltky · May 20, 2013

Bail granted in assassination case?...

Musharraf granted bail in Benazir Bhutto assassination case
May 20, 2013 - A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf who has been under house arrest on charges of failing to provide adequate security for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her 2007 assassination.

Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, returned to Pakistan in March after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general election, but he was disqualified from standing because of pending court cases. The election was won by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister Musharraf ousted in his coup 14 years ago. Musharraf became the first former army chief to be arrested, breaking an unwritten rule that the top ranks of the military are untouchable, even after they have retired.

But the current army chief has suggested the military is unhappy with how authorities have treated Musharraf. On April 20, a court remanded the former president in custody for two weeks as judges pushed ahead with plans to put Musharraf on trial for a crackdown on the judiciary during his time in office. On April 30, an anti-terrorism court put Musharraf on 14-day judicial remand for charges of failing to provide adequate security for Bhutto before her 2007 assassination.

The acceptance of the former commando's bail application could see him leave the country despite the fact that the Supreme Court has directed that he should stay put. Many observers believe a face-saving reason for his departure, perhaps on grounds of ill health, will be found.

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waltky · Aug 20, 2013

Musharraf indicted for role in Bhutto's assassination...

Pakistan's Musharraf charged in Bhutto killing
Aug 20,`13 -- A Pakistani court on Tuesday indicted former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf on murder charges in connection with the 2007 assassination of iconic Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, deepening the fall of a once-powerful figure who returned to the country this year to make a political comeback.

The decision by a court in Rawalpindi marks the first time Musharraf, or any former army chief in Pakistan, has been charged with a crime. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup and stepped down from office in disgrace nearly a decade later, now faces a litany of legal problems that have in many ways broken taboos on the inviolability of the once-sacrosanct military in Pakistani society. He is currently under house arrest in connection with one of the cases against him. The retired general has been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation for murder, said prosecutor Chaudry Muhammed Azhar. He did not specify what exactly Musharraf was accused of doing but prosecutors have previously accused him of failing to provide enough protection to Bhutto.

The former army commando appeared in person during the brief morning hearing, and pleaded not guilty, said Afshan Adil, a member of Musharraf's legal team. "These are all fabricated cases. There is nothing solid in all these case," she said. Bhutto was killed in 2007 during a gun and bomb attack at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi, the sister city to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Prosecutors have said that Musharraf, who was president at the time, failed to properly protect her. Bhutto is the daughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was himself executed in 1977 after being deposed in a coup. His daughter is widely respected in Pakistan for her political commitment - she was jailed multiple times - and her condemnation of militancy and support for Pakistan's poor.

She returned to Pakistan under a deal with Musharraf allowing her to take part in upcoming elections, and his supporters point to the deal as proof that he had no objections to her return. Her assassination set off a wave of protests across the country and helped propel her Pakistan People's Party to office and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, to the presidency. The judge set August 27 as the next court date to present evidence. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March after nearly four years outside the country and vowed to take part in the country's May elections. But he has little popular support in Pakistan and ever since his return has faced a litany of legal problems related to his rule.

Musharraf has repeatedly vowed that he returned to lead his supporters in the election and that he would clear his name of all charges. But many questioned why Musharraf decided to come back considering the legal problems he'd be facing and his almost non-existent popularity. His return and legal troubles have put the military and newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a delicate position. Pakistan has undergone three coups since the country's inception in 1947, and the military is considered the most powerful institution. The military's top leadership is not believed to have supported Musharraf's return from exile but they also would likely not want to see one of their own put behind bars or treated unfairly.

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