ISLAMABAD: A court in Islamabad has granted bail to former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in a case related to the murder of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi in a 2007 military raid.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Wajid Ali directed the former army strongman to submit two bonds each worth Rs 100,000 as surety for bail, his lawyer told reporters after the judge announced his verdict on the bail plea on Monday.
The ruling by the Islamabad district court means Musharraf is on bail in all the cases brought against him since his return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile, including one relating to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
But the 70-year-old is likely to remain under heavy guard at his villa on the edge of Islamabad, where he has been under house arrest since April, because of serious threats to his life.
His name is currently on the interior ministry’s “exit control list”, which means he cannot leave Pakistan without the approval of the government.
Defence lawyer Afshan Adil told news agency AFP that the money for the surety bonds would be paid on Tuesday, but rejected rumours that have circulated in recent months that Musharraf would try to leave Pakistan.
“He is not going abroad and will stay in the country,” she said. “God willing, Musharraf will be acquitted in this case.”
Tariq Asad, a lawyer for the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), condemned the bail ruling and said an appeal would be launched in the high court.
Musharraf's aides have said the charges against him are trumped up and politically motivated and his official spokesman welcomed Monday's ruling.
“We are confident that eventually domestic and international push-back will compel Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to cease in his tracks and the allegations filed against former president Musharraf in the Red Mosque matter will be withdrawn,” Raza Bokhari said in a statement.
Musharraf was arrested on Oct 10, five weeks after Ghazi’s son Haroon Rasheed registered the murder charge against him with Aabpara police in Rawalpindi. His arrest had come just a day after he was given bail in the last of three major cases against him dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.
The former commando returned to Pakistan in March to run in the May general election, vowing to “save” the country from economic collapse and militancy.
But he was barred from contesting the election, won convincingly by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – the man he ousted from power in 1999 – and was hit with a series of criminal cases dating back to his rule.
The ex-ruler has been living in part of his 1,100 square metre (12,000 square foot) house, declared a “sub-jail” under the auspices of a prison in Rawalpindi. He is guarded by some 300 police, paramilitaries and marksmen.
Reports have claimed he is enjoying a comfortable life in detention. He has even had the services of his personal cook because of his fears of being poisoned.
The Taliban have threatened to kill Musharraf, who as president allied Pakistan with Washington in the US “war on terror” in the wake of the Sept 11 attacks.
