April, 2013
Will Musharraf end up in jail is an open question.
Islamabad, Crescent-online
April 18, 2013, 20:05 EST
Will General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani dictator, end up in jail? The High Court in Islamabad ordered his arrest after dismissing his bail extension appeal today. The extension application related to the case against him for dismissing judges in 2007 when Musharraf was the president and the all-too powerful strongman. Then Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, refused to resign and was put under house arrest by Musharraf who appointed a number of other judges. Musharraf had imposed a state of emergency that Justice Chaudhry refused to endorse.
Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s house arrest touched a raw nerve and virtually the whole country erupted against Musharraf’s ham-fisted policy. The military dictator had overplayed his hand. The movement against him grew and he was forced to resign in August 2008, going into exile. This had come about after he was forced to relinquish the all-powerful post of army chief. Once stripped of that power, Musharraf was left virtually naked.
On Thursday (April 18), the Islamabad High Court presided over by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui ordered Musharraf’s arrest for his controversial decision to dismiss judges during the emergency rule he imposed in 2007. His defence lawyer, Qamar Afzal said the judge issued the order, “the interim bail is dismissed.”
The former dictator had been ordered to appear in court for his bail extension application. This was a blow to his image that he had crafted for himself. He left the court after hearing the order. Officials of the interim government have not said when Musharraf would be arrested but the judiciary would take a dim view if the order were not carried out. As former army chief and president, Musharraf would get first class treatment in jail, if he ever sees the inside of one. It is also possible that he may be placed under house arrest. The court has already issued an order putting his name on the Exit Control List. This means he is forbidden from leaving the country, as many politicians and other high fliers do when faced with legal challenges.
Musharraf also faces charges for involvement in the killing of Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007. Whether that charge would stick is difficult to predict but his dismissal of judges, violation of the constitution by imposing a state of emergency and the killing of the Baluch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti are serious charges and he may be in deep trouble. Similarly, Musharraf had violated the constitution by overthrowing an elected government in October 1999 but he is unlikely to face any charges on that score because the courts had accepted his plea on the basis of the ‘doctrine of necessity’.
Human Rights Watch has called on the Pakistani government to hold Musharraf accountable for widespread and serious human rights abuses during his nine-year military rule (October 1999 – August 2008). For nearly five years, Musharraf had lived in exile in London and Dubai. He even bought a house in London’s Edgeware Road. How he paid for it is not clear although Musharraf claims his Arab friends paid for it. Which Arab friends: the Saudi regime or that in Dubai?
The former dictator returned home on March 24 vowing to “save” Pakistan by contesting the May 11 elections and hoping to win a majority in parliament. Who gave him this bright idea is unclear but even the decision to return to Pakistan to face charges in court was risky. An activist judiciary is not going to take kindly to acts of high treason. There is speculation that he returned to save his properties that have been frozen because he was proclaimed an absconder for failing to appear before the court.
His applications to run from four different constituencies (only in Pakistan is this possible!) were turned down. He has been disallowed because of the very serious charges against him.
Will Musharraf end up in jail is an open question. Should that happen, this will be the first time a senior military officer, even a retired one, has seen the inside of a jail, not as a visitor but as an occupant. It would be a turning point in Pakistan’s history.
END
April 18, 2013, 20:05 EST
Will General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani dictator, end up in jail? The High Court in Islamabad ordered his arrest after dismissing his bail extension appeal today. The extension application related to the case against him for dismissing judges in 2007 when Musharraf was the president and the all-too powerful strongman. Then Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, refused to resign and was put under house arrest by Musharraf who appointed a number of other judges. Musharraf had imposed a state of emergency that Justice Chaudhry refused to endorse.
Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s house arrest touched a raw nerve and virtually the whole country erupted against Musharraf’s ham-fisted policy. The military dictator had overplayed his hand. The movement against him grew and he was forced to resign in August 2008, going into exile. This had come about after he was forced to relinquish the all-powerful post of army chief. Once stripped of that power, Musharraf was left virtually naked.
On Thursday (April 18), the Islamabad High Court presided over by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui ordered Musharraf’s arrest for his controversial decision to dismiss judges during the emergency rule he imposed in 2007. His defence lawyer, Qamar Afzal said the judge issued the order, “the interim bail is dismissed.”
The former dictator had been ordered to appear in court for his bail extension application. This was a blow to his image that he had crafted for himself. He left the court after hearing the order. Officials of the interim government have not said when Musharraf would be arrested but the judiciary would take a dim view if the order were not carried out. As former army chief and president, Musharraf would get first class treatment in jail, if he ever sees the inside of one. It is also possible that he may be placed under house arrest. The court has already issued an order putting his name on the Exit Control List. This means he is forbidden from leaving the country, as many politicians and other high fliers do when faced with legal challenges.
Musharraf also faces charges for involvement in the killing of Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007. Whether that charge would stick is difficult to predict but his dismissal of judges, violation of the constitution by imposing a state of emergency and the killing of the Baluch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti are serious charges and he may be in deep trouble. Similarly, Musharraf had violated the constitution by overthrowing an elected government in October 1999 but he is unlikely to face any charges on that score because the courts had accepted his plea on the basis of the ‘doctrine of necessity’.
Human Rights Watch has called on the Pakistani government to hold Musharraf accountable for widespread and serious human rights abuses during his nine-year military rule (October 1999 – August 2008). For nearly five years, Musharraf had lived in exile in London and Dubai. He even bought a house in London’s Edgeware Road. How he paid for it is not clear although Musharraf claims his Arab friends paid for it. Which Arab friends: the Saudi regime or that in Dubai?
The former dictator returned home on March 24 vowing to “save” Pakistan by contesting the May 11 elections and hoping to win a majority in parliament. Who gave him this bright idea is unclear but even the decision to return to Pakistan to face charges in court was risky. An activist judiciary is not going to take kindly to acts of high treason. There is speculation that he returned to save his properties that have been frozen because he was proclaimed an absconder for failing to appear before the court.
His applications to run from four different constituencies (only in Pakistan is this possible!) were turned down. He has been disallowed because of the very serious charges against him.
Will Musharraf end up in jail is an open question. Should that happen, this will be the first time a senior military officer, even a retired one, has seen the inside of a jail, not as a visitor but as an occupant. It would be a turning point in Pakistan’s history.
END
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