ISLAMABAD: A local court of Islamabad on Thursday rejected the plea of former President Pervez Musharraf seeking exemption from appearance in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, and ordered him to appear before court on July 1.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Wajid Ali resumed the hearing of the case, during which the counsel of the complainant, Abdul Haq, pointed out that neither the accused nor his guarantors were present in the court.

The judge then adjourned the proceedings till the arrival of the guarantors. After a short break, Musharraf’s counsel Akhtar Shah

informed the court that due to his sickness and security reasons, his client could not appear before the court.

He also pointed out that Islamabad police had already acquitted the former president in the said murder case last October.

It is important to mention that the cleric and his mother, died during the 2007 operation against the mosque. The police have prepared an investigation report under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, commonly known as ‘challan’.

According to the challan, “the complainant in the said case, Haroon Rasheed, son of Ghazi Rasheed, was neither a witness of the murder, nor could he produce tangible evidence against Musharraf.”

The judge put off further proceedings in the murder case till July 1.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2014