AFP (France), BBC (UK), DAWN (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani court has ordered the arrest of ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf on Thursday, in connection with his March 2007 attempt to put judges under house arrest.
After the Islamabad High Court rejected his bail application, Musharraf immediately left the premises, escorted by his bodyguards. It is unclear why police officers present did not arrest him on the spot, according to the AFP.
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Musharraf in 2005. Photo by U.S. Navy
According to police, the former president is currently at his residence in Chak Shahzad, in the outskirts of Islamabad. Police are expected to carry out his arrest, says Pakistan daily Dawn.
Sixty judges were detained after then-President Musharraf declared a state of emergency. He is also accused in two other cases: his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to murder the late politician Benazir Bhutto in 2007, as well as treason, writes theBBC.
According to a spokesperson, the 69-year-old retired general will file an appeal against the court order. This decision came as a surprise, as the same court had recently granted him a six day-interim bail after he'd appeared before the court.
The politician had returned from four years of self-imposed exile last month hoping to reboot his political career and lead his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party into the general election next month. Earlier this week, his candidacy for the National Assembly had been officially rejected, reports the BBC.
Musharraf had seized power in a 1999 coup and resigned in 2008 under political pressure.
