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.

Opinion

Editorial

When medicine fails
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

When medicine fails

Between now and 2050, medical experts expect antibiotic resistance to kill 40m people worldwide.
Nawaz on India
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

Nawaz on India

Nawaz Sharif’s hopes of better ties with India can only be realised when New Delhi responds to Pakistan positively.
State of abuse
18 Nov, 2024

State of abuse

DESPITE censure from the rulers and society, and measures such as helplines and edicts to protect the young from all...
Football elections
17 Nov, 2024

Football elections

PAKISTAN football enters the most crucial juncture of its ‘normalisation’ era next week, when an Extraordinary...
IMF’s concern
17 Nov, 2024

IMF’s concern

ON Friday, the IMF team wrapped up its weeklong unscheduled talks on the Fund’s ongoing $7bn programme with the...
‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs
Updated 17 Nov, 2024

‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs

If curbing pornography is really the country’s foremost concern while it stumbles from one crisis to the next, there must be better ways to do so.