Court issues arrest warrant for Musharraf in Lal Masjid case

E-Paper | March 12, 2026

ISLAMABAD: A local court has issued a bailable arrest warrant against former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf regarding the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed.

Islamabad's Additional Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan presided over the hearing and rejected four requests issued by the former president's counsel and adjourned the hearing till April 2.

Musharraf's counsel had previously questioned the jurisdiction of the court as a case regarding Lal Masjid is already pending in Supreme Court. He had also requested exemption from appearing in court for this case.

Also read: Musharraf summoned over Lal Masjid cleric's murder

In 2013, police registered a case against Musharraf over the alleged murder of cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and his wife during the Lal Masjid military operation.

Musharraf faces a string of court cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, including the death of Ghazi, one of more than 100 people killed after Pakistani troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad on July 10, 2007.

The mosque was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals that unleashed a wave of militant attacks across Pakistan.

Musharraf also faces treason charges over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007 – a historic first in a country ruled for half its existence by the military.

He further faces murder accusations over the 2006 death of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistan

Shakeel Qarar is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn News (TV), having been with the organization since 2012. His reporting covers crime, law and order, and security, with a specific focus on the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate agencies. He can be found on X at @Qarar009.

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excalibur

Mar 10, 2015 12:25pm

No lesson ever will be learnt about the politicization of the judiciary. All cases are non issues and politically fabricated.Period

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Rizwan haider

Mar 10, 2015 12:30pm

Gen Pervez Musharraf was and remains the best leader Pakistan ever had unlike Mr zardari and Nawaz Shariff the most courrpted people in pakistan Wen Musharraf was in power economy was better there was no terrorisim no bomb blasts in schools public felt much safer then now.Pakistan is falling apart day by day we are sinking as a country due to courrpt leaders.

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citizen

Mar 10, 2015 12:33pm

Ex- president of a country who hv nuclear power n all successful test of missile in first attempt... 1999 still hunts him.

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Parvez

Mar 10, 2015 12:38pm

Musharraf did most things by half-measures and now he is paying the price.

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RASHID

Mar 10, 2015 12:48pm

Musharraf Rocks!

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A Reader (UK)

Mar 10, 2015 12:55pm

Musharraf - A Unpredictable man should kept behind the bar till he's alive. He's the only culprit to ruin the image of Pakistan in the globe. Every citizen of Pakistan need peace but he's only responsible for the violence.

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Raja

Mar 10, 2015 12:58pm

That's what the Local Court judges are good making decision "Arrest Musharraf" and the real murderer Qadri is free. What a scam we have running in our local courts.

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Paulo

Mar 10, 2015 01:04pm

Why not forget the sleeping

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zak

Mar 10, 2015 01:09pm

Make him head of both Army and Civilian govt and he may just save the day for Pakistan.

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Ali Vazir

Mar 10, 2015 01:15pm

If Musharraf is to be tried, arrested and convicted for cleansing the terrorists, the land-grabbers in the name of religion, then I am also offering myself. Let us all peace lovers, make a pledge to offer arrest as a protest against the corrupt protectors of corrupted system.

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waseem haider

Mar 10, 2015 01:23pm

the best leader

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M.M.Sherazi

Mar 10, 2015 01:25pm

The Judge wanted to prove that he is dispensing justice at the cost of demoralizing the armed forces, purely an individual act......... Musharraf has been the valiant soldier of Pakistan Army.

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Realist

Mar 10, 2015 01:27pm

The mosque was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals that unleashed a wave of militant attacks across Pakistan. Really? Lal masjid people had nothing to do with TTP or its agenda. They were only asking to dispense justice and arrest corrupt bureaucratic and political officers against whom they had gathered evidence. They faced military operation for this. TTP only started using their name afterwards for its own end.

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hrk

Mar 10, 2015 01:31pm

Do we still have any trust left in these courts?

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Ahmed Shaikh

Mar 10, 2015 01:31pm

Good decision. I wonder, how anyone can support someone who misused his authority and powers. The justice should be served at any cost. Those who killed in Lal Masjid were as important as those who killed in Peshawar Army Public School and in Karachi Baldia Factory Fire.

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pakman

Mar 10, 2015 01:34pm

This is a farcical case, court should throw this out. Entire Lal masjid should be demolished as this has now become a symbol of terror under the garb of islam.

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james

Mar 10, 2015 01:36pm

Justice from our judges, protection from our police, members of parliament to solve our problems - which cloud cuckoo land we are living in. As Cowasjee used to say this is the land of the pure - may I add pure corruption, undiluted total disregard of rule of law.

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Mar 10, 2015 01:41pm

Musharaf did not played well with americans otherwise, he would have demanded 100 billion dollars from angered Bush for all logistics and field inside Pak to bomb Afghanistan but he only feared the threats to bomb Pak to stone age. A strong soldier did not surrender but sacrifice. Further he made great mistake by attacking Lal Masjid knowing well the repurcussions in India by attacking religious side i.e. Swaran Mandir.

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Khalid

Mar 10, 2015 01:50pm

Arrest warrant for the hero of Pakistan and the reluctance to do anything about the murderer of Salman Taseer. What a world we live in?.

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Factual

Mar 10, 2015 02:02pm

Arrest warrants for killing a person who took up arms against the state? Good job judiciary! What about those arrest warrants which were issued against current cleric of Lal Masjid? Will court take the trouble to enforce its execution?

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Ashraf Choudhry

Mar 10, 2015 02:14pm

Had he acted ,he would still be. The president.

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M Rafique

Mar 10, 2015 02:19pm

Very prompt and effective judiciary

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umer salahuddin

Mar 10, 2015 02:30pm

Every one knows that in 2007 terrorists made all masjid as their base and to eliminate them the action taken by Musharaf was correct. To protect lal masjid from terrorists is not a crime.

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YOUKNOWIMRIGHT

Mar 10, 2015 03:06pm

Is there no end to the politicised and religiously unbalanced judiciary in Pakistan undermining the struggling country to its core? What comes to mind is the title of a book by Australian author Xavier Herbert -- Poor Fellow My Country!

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Ashraf Choudhry

Mar 10, 2015 03:07pm

Irony of fate.

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Rashid

Mar 10, 2015 03:11pm

What a justice, Qadri the terrorist who murdered Salman Taseer get half justice and is glorified and where as the former Head of state and COAS is maligned for all the wrong reasons is struggling to be set free.

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zak

Mar 10, 2015 03:19pm

PML-N and PPP know, that if Musharaf enters the political arena, he will become another force to recon with along with PTI. Both parties are corruption free and the public will veer towards them. So in comes the 'Independent' judiciary to save the day for the corrupt.

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adnan

Mar 10, 2015 03:19pm

@Rizwan haider what a stoogy analysis ok if NS and AZ are so bad, who brought them back into pakistan? who attacked an peaced dealt area i.e. Kargill, the effects of which are felt till now? why some young officers used to say we don't go out in public in our uniform? my dear - military rule is no answer, Pakistan lacks in the psychological aspect of democracy as well. economies and competition b/w countries since 20th century is no longer a 100 sum closed game. it is region vis a vis global. so there is no 100% water tight that in NS time this was best, in AZ time that was best and so on PML N sports policies are best, as they lead to WC win in 1992 when wasim was MOM. go on now beat this abstract claim

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RavanSingh

Mar 10, 2015 03:27pm

the current mess Pakistan is, because of duplicitous policies of Musharraf. He tried to serve two masters - Americans on one side and Taliban on other side, guess the result? a sinking Pakistan. He did the same with India, first Kargil and then talks with terror. A leader ought to be decisive and lead with clarity of thought. Musharraf made poor choices and Pakistan deserves better.

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sara ally qureshi

Mar 10, 2015 03:37pm

@james very well said!!

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sara ally qureshi

Mar 10, 2015 03:40pm

@Factual this court is subservient to the whims of Nawaz.It will do what the King wants to be done.

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Factual

Mar 10, 2015 03:41pm

@Ahmed Shaikh No they were not as important. They were terrorists with automatic weapons and explosives fighting against state to enforce their own version of Islam. Please do not equate them with innocent students of APS. Nation can no longer stay in the state of confusion. Please, snap out of it.

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sanjeev

Mar 10, 2015 03:43pm

I am lovin it.

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zak

Mar 10, 2015 03:45pm

President General Musharaf-feared by internal political parties and external enemies, but loved by the patriotic people of Pakistan. He will defeat the judiciary as well-legally of course!

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Mar 10, 2015 03:58pm

Who is The Terrorist? The judge who is protecting the terrorism HQ and the terrorist who got killed. Put the judge behind the bar.

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khan

Mar 10, 2015 04:18pm

It is a topi drama. A man who is nominated in 100 case of murders are playing golf with his friends in his farm. They wanted to legally clear the cases and then they will let him go. The Pakistani judiciary have no balls to arrest him or punish him. The judiciary and the police can not arrest the maulvi of lal masjid, so how they can arrest a retired general. Stop this topi drama and concentrate on providing justice to the poor people and do under the table deal

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Whatever

Mar 10, 2015 04:19pm

Lets applaud the government for refusing to stand up against the red mosque and arrest the only guy who had the guts to do so. I seriously wonder what the government is doing.

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Zohaib

Mar 10, 2015 04:30pm

Ridiculous. He did many wrong things and didnt deserve to be President but this was the only good thing he did. If he has to be punished then punish him for meddling with the constitution, usurping power and supporting the taliban.

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True

Mar 10, 2015 05:08pm

He is the reason for miseries of Afghanistan if not in this world on other world he has to answer to higher authority on behalf of all killed in Afghanistan under hid watch

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Faraz

Mar 10, 2015 05:25pm

@Ahmed Shaikh tell me do you even know what it is like to lose someone to terrorism. Those killed in Lal masjid were terrorists and those in APS were victims of terrorism. Here I have defined it for you. Hope you ll remember next time

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Shahid Akbar, USA

Mar 10, 2015 05:26pm

What a waste of national resources. Stop this nonsense now! General Saheb did what a soldier would

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Shahid Akbar, USA

Mar 10, 2015 05:28pm

@Ali Vazir Count me in.

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Shahid Akbar, USA

Mar 10, 2015 05:33pm

@zak I love this short and precised analysis.

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Umair

Mar 10, 2015 05:34pm

That the case is politically motivated and proceedings influenced is crystal clear from the fact that while the matter is sub-judiced (being in petition in the Supreme Court), a local court gave a decision to arrest. Political and ethnic victimisation.

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Shahid Akbar, USA

Mar 10, 2015 05:37pm

@Ahmed Shaikh Terrorists were in the Lal Masjid where they have tons of ammunition.

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Norozkhan

Mar 10, 2015 06:02pm

I wonder if Pakistan Judiciary has any credibility left, Making fake and bogus charges against Pervez Musharaf is an embarrassment for every Pakistani.

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saber

Mar 10, 2015 06:16pm

Every thing is fair in love and war.Pakistani Govt. is making a new history.From now it will be,every thing is fair in politics love and war.I don't watch drama that much,but I am enjoying this kind of drama.keep on going. saber

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saber

Mar 10, 2015 06:28pm

Every thing is fair in love and war.Pakistani gov.t is making a new history.From now it will be ,every thing is fair in politics love and history.I am enjoying this drama.Please keep it up. saber

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Jazzy

Mar 10, 2015 07:08pm

@Rizwan haider you hit the nail on the head regarding NS and AZ and rest of the statement .lal masjid is a breeding ground for the terrorist and gen Musharraf took the right decision at the time.I wished NS had the guts to taken the similar action.

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Taj Khan

Mar 10, 2015 08:42pm

Corrupt judiciary.

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Erik

Mar 10, 2015 09:17pm

If the judiciary is fair then why they don't issue orders to arrest Maulana Abdul Aziz?

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Erik

Mar 10, 2015 09:20pm

@pakman agreed

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Norozkhan

Mar 10, 2015 09:54pm

So arrest warrants are issued for retired General Musharaf in Lal Masjid case but what happened to 14 soldiers and one Lt Colonel who were killed by the terrorists at Lal Masjid. I guess soldiers or civilians killed by terrorists at Lal Masjid were not worth more than cats and dogs, the man leading the mutiny cleric Abdul Aziz is a free man who is mocking and threatening the government.

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Naseem Altaf

Mar 10, 2015 11:11pm

If only we could ever shut our eyes to his un-pardonable crime of staging a coup-de-tete ( like Ayub Khan,Yahya Khan, and Ziaul ) against a constitutional ,elected government ; and his bypassing of country's legal government in the Kargil matter . Other than the above he initiated a number of good things e.g. HEC ,LG, etc. BUT one wonders ,if he felt strong enough to occupy the country by force, why did he not try to move the nation forward on Kalabagh Dam , or Quenching the fires of Obscrantism,Sectarianism or Ethnicity based terrorism . These omissions are appalling in the face of his some of his claims. If only he had worked for these avenues ,very fundamental to the health & survival of our nation, maybe the nation could have pardoned his sins.

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Khan

Mar 10, 2015 11:16pm

I wonder who was the terrorist there, the President of the country trying to establish the writ of his government or this maulvi attacking armed forces and then trying to escape in burqa? Perhaps the terrorist was the judiciary who accepted the case for hearing?

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Naseem Altaf

Mar 10, 2015 11:17pm

@Factual , Yes very correct. And using the same logic , Musshharraff needs to be tried for taking up arms against the state & it's constitution in 1999, prohibited under the Article 6 of the constitution.

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