Petitioner to take up Musharraf case again
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LAHORE: A lawyer who had earlier withdrawn himself from the judges’ detention case says ‘life threats’ had forced him to take that decision.
“I had stopped pursuing the case following life threats to me and members of my family. Although I am still receiving threats, I have decided to appear in the court on July 20 and pursue the judges’ detention case against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf,” Advocate Aslam Ghumman told Dawn on Saturday.
Mr Ghumman was a petitioner in the case and on May 17 he had announced his decision to withdraw his complaint, citing “national interest”.
Meanwhile, Gen Musharraf’s political adviser Chaudhry Sarfraz Anjum Kahlon told Dawn that he would move court against Mr Ghumman, alleging that the lawyer had demanded a huge sum of money besides a one-year-stay in the UK for his and his family.
“On my refusal, Ghumman said he will manipulate the legal system to his advantage. The evidence, including text messages, phone recordings and video footage, will be presented in the court to prove that Mr Ghumman was an unfit character to act as a complainant against Musharraf,” Mr Kahlon said.
Mr Kahlon said Mr Ghumman had “voluntarily” withdrawn his complaint (against Musharraf) in the “national interest”.
He said Mr Ghumman got a case registered last month against retired Colonel Ilyas, a security officer of Gen Musharraf, claiming that he was receiving life threats from him and later filed a petition in the apex court, challenging the Islamabad High Court’s order of granting bail to Gen Musharraf.
Mr Kahlon requested the Supreme Court to take notice of Mr Ghumman’s ‘U-turn’.
“We are preparing different cases, including extortion, giving false and fabricated evidence to the court and cheating, against Mr Ghumman,” he said.
Mr Ghumman, however, dismissed Mr Kahlon’s allegations, terming them part of a campaign the aides of Gen Musharraf were running against him. “I have neither demanded any money nor a stay in London or elsewhere from Mr Kahlon or others,” Mr Ghumman said, adding that he would continue to pursue the case and would not cow down to threats.
