ISLAMABAD: The Central Police Office Islamabad on Saturday tasked a superintendent of police with fulfilling the legal requirement as regard to the bailable arrest warrant issued by the special court against former president Pervez Musharraf on Friday.

On Saturday, the police received the order issued by the special court seized with the high treason case against Musharraf.

The order addressed the inspector general of the police (IGP) and stated that Musharraf be arrested and produced in the court on the next hearing of the case on February 7.

“If Musharraf or anyone as his guarantor assured the police that he would appear before the court on the next hearing and also submit surety bonds worth Rs2.5 million, the bail should be accepted and a report in this regard submitted to the court on the next hearing,” a police officer quoted the order as stating.

The police officer said SP Rural retired Captain Mohammad Ilyas was assigned the task to comply with the court orders as the residence of the former president in Chak Shahzad was located in his jurisdiction.

When contacted, Sikandar Hayat, the IGP Islamabad, said he had received the order addressed to him by the special court.

He said the warrant would be delivered to the former president any time but the police would prefer to carry out the direction on a working day, most likely on Monday.

Advocate Tariq Mehmood Jehangiri told Dawn that it was the discretion of the court to issue a bailable or non-bailable arrest warrant against any accused to assure their attendance in the court.

However, in practice, courts issue mild orders – bailable warrants – to ensure the presence of the accused.

He said if after the issuance of the bailable warrant, an accused does not appear in the court, a non-bailable warrant is issued.

Advocate Jehangiri said the police would serve Musharraf with the bailable arrest warrant. On his behalf, his guarantor can also give an undertaking that he would appear before the court.

Besides, as the court has fixed the worth of surety bonds the guarantor would also submit an undertaking that if Musharraf failed to appear before the court he would submit the amount or surrender his property equivalent to the worth of the surety bonds to the court.

According to the law, the court will take action against the guarantor and arrest him if the accused did not appear in the court despite giving the assurance, he said.

Moreover, the guarantor will also be fined either equivalent to the amount of the surety bonds or less.

The court can also order the land and revenue department to confiscate the property of the guarantor if he too does not appear before the court. The property will be sold to get the amount of the surety bonds, he added.

Advocate Jehangiri said if the guarantor failed to submit the cash or has no property, he would serve one-year’s imprisonment under the Land and Revenue Act’s section 92 and 93.