Ghazi murder case: Court warns legal action if Musharraf fails to appear
ISLAMABAD: A district court on Tuesday warned former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf against his failure to appear before it on July 23 for a hearing of the Abdul Rasheed Ghazi murder case, saying legal action would be taken against him in case of non-compliance with court directives.
Earlier today, the court had granted Musharraf exemption for Tuesday’s appearance in the case and subsequently summoned him as well as his guarantors for the next hearing of the case.
The capital city’s additional sessions court judge Wajid Ali heard the case.
During the hearing, Musharraf’s advocate Akhtar Shah submitted the plea requesting exemption from today’s court appearance on behalf of his client.
Shah moreover presented the ex-president’s medical report in the court and said that the report was compiled by five doctors from a private hospital in Karachi.
According to the medical report, Musharraf could not move, adding that he did not want permanent exemption from court appearances but sought relief only for today.
Doctors have advised the former president a complete rest for three days, the report said.
Also read: Musharraf’s exemption plea rejected
Shah moreover requested the court to grant Musharraf exemption for today due to security concerns, adding that the case’s hearing should be adjourned for a period of three weeks.
The court while summoning Musharraf and his guarantors for the next hearing adjourned the case to July 23. The judge added that legal action would be taken against the former president if he fails to comply with court orders.
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Ghazi was killed during the Lal Masjid operation of 2007. The operation was a government crackdown on the controversial pro-Taliban mosque in Islamabad, which ended in a bloody eight-day siege killing at least 58 Pakistani troops and seminary students.
The operation, ordered by Musharraf, had followed a week-long standoff between the mosque's supporters and security forces.