QUETTA
Pakistan’s Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) Quetta has ordered former president Pervez Musharraf to appear before it at the next hearing of the Nawab Akbar Bugti assassination case at all costs, and adjourned the hearing until May 19.
At the start of the hearing of the case yesterday, former interior minister Aftab Sherpao, Shoaib Nosherwani and Mumtaz and Nadim, guarantors of Musharraf appeared in the court.
The court expressed annoyance over non-appearance of Musharraf before it and reprimanded counsels and guarantors of the former president.
Musharraf’s lawyers and guarantors gave a commitment to the court that the former president would appear in the court at the next hearing, contending Musharraf was in Karachi in connection with his medical treatment.
Arrest warrants
The court cancelled the arrest warrants of Musharraf’s guarantors and adjourned the hearing of the case to May 19.
Musharraf’s legal team also filed an application in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
In the application, Musharraf argued that not a single court has imposed restrictions on his movement and hence he should be allowed to fly abroad.
The name of the former president was put on ECL on April 5, 2013 by the interior ministry to ensure Musharraf remained in the country and attended hearings of all the cases he was involved in.
Expressing urgency, Musharraf’s lawyer Dr Farogh Naseem requested the court for an early hearing of this application.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Nasim said that no court had ordered the government to put former president on ECL. “Rejecting his application demonstrates government’s ill motive,” he said.
On March 31, Musharraf was formally charged for subverting and circumventing the Constitution by imposing emergency on November 3, 2007. Musharraf had rejected the charges levelled against him.
Apart from the high treason case, Musharraf was also named as an accused in the Benazir Bhutto and Akbar Bugti murder cases.
Navy medical team
Meanwhile, a medical team from the Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Shifa arrived at former president Musharraf’s residence in Karachi for a detailed medical examination, private news channel reported yesterday.
Musharraf has reportedly been suffering from severe back pain which has recently extended to one of his arms. Due to threats to his life, he decided to not personally visit the hospital.
After a thorough assessment, the medical team visiting Musharraf will prescribe necessary treatment for the retired general.
On Saturday, a chartered private jet took Musharraf to Karachi from Islamabad for the first time since his indictment.
Soon after landing in Karachi, Musharraf was driven away in a convoy of 18 armoured vehicles, including two mobile jammer vehicles and an ambulance, to his residence in Generals Colony off Zamzama in Defence Housing Authority.
