KARACHI: Lawyers for former president Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf filed an appeal in the Sindh High Court on Tuesday pleading to strike the ex-dictator’s name off the exit control list.
The application filed by the former army chief pleads the court to modify its earlier order, restraining him from leaving the country without permission of trial courts.
Release orders for Musharraf, who remained under house arrest for more than six months in his sprawling Chak Shahzad farmhouse, were issued Wednesday last week, two days after a court granted him bail in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi.
Musharraf has been granted bail in all cases against him since his return to Pakistan in a bid to contest general elections in May.
He was being tried for his alleged involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, and the case relating to the murder of the Lal Masjid cleric during the army operation on the mosque in 2007.
Hearing the case on Tuesday, a division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah issued notices to the federal law officer, chief provincial law officer and prosecutor general Sindh, asking them to submit their comments on the application filed by Musharraf’s counsel AQ Halepota.
The counsel pleaded that trial courts had confirmed Musharraf’s bail in all cases against him.
He said that Musharraf wanted to leave for Dubai to enquire on the health of his 95-year-old mother, who is seriously ill and unable to travel to Pakistan. He said that it was Musharraf’s desire to be with his mother after he had been released on bail in all cases against him.
Halepota said that placing the name of the former general on the ECL was a violation of his fundamental rights. Therefore, he pleaded to the court to modify its earlier order.
After hearing initial arguments, the SHC bench issued notices to the deputy attorney general, advocate general and prosecutor general Sindh to file comments by November 18.
Meanwhile, a high treason case is still in pending against the former army strongman as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has yet to start its proceedings.
The Supreme Court had referred the case to the federal government to initiate the high treason proceedings against the former army chief for twice holding the constitution in abeyance.
Following his bail orders from court last week, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a member of Musharraf’s team of lawyers, said that Gen Musharraf still faced an inquiry in the ‘high treason’ case.
He said Gen Musharraf would definitely come back to the country if he went to Dubai or any other country.
