musharraf-ap-670
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. — Photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s farmhouse in the suburbs of Islamabad is likely to be declared a sub-jail in the wake of a high level meeting at the Presidency on Thursday night.

The decision to declare the Chak Shahzad farmhouse as a sub-jail is set to end the bizarre cat and mouse chase to arrest the former military ruler.

However, there was no official word from the government yet confirming the decision.

Sources told DawnNews that the meeting at the Presidency was attended by caretaker interior and law ministers who briefed President Asif Ali Zardari about the situation arising out of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision to cancel the bail of Musharraf in Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Police waited all day from higher authorities whether to arrest the former general as the IHC had also taken notice of Musharraf’s escape from the premises of the court after the cancellation of bail.

Meanwhile, Musharraf hold up at his farmhouse residence under tight security made it impossible for the police to arrest him. A large number of local and international media remained outside the residence following the high drama.

All the roads leading to Musharraf’s residence were blocked by law enforcement agencies.

Earlier in the day, he was whisked away from the IHC premises with the help of his private security guards moments after his bail plea was denied by the court.

His return to his residence was also cleared to ensure that police can not arrest him on his way back.

Musharraf’s lawyers who went to the Supreme Court to obtain his pre-arrest bail have now shed the option of contacting the apex court on Friday after late night development of declaring his residence a sub-jail.

Meanwhile, appearing in a short video for the first after being held at his residence, the former military ruler questioned the intentions of the Pakistani judiciary behind treating him like a criminal.

Lauding development projects and progress during his rule as president, Musharraf said that he was being punished for putting the country on the right track towards advancement.

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