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Journalism of Courage
Beleaguered former military ruler Pervez Musharraf is set to walk out of house arrest after Pakistans Supreme Court granted him bail in the Akbar Bugti murder case,his lawyers claimed Wednesday.
His lawyers said this was the last case in which he was still under arrest and he had already been granted bail in all other cases against him,including those related to the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto and the imposition of emergency in 2007.
He has been granted bail in the last case for which he was under arrest. He is a free man now, Ilyas Siddiqui,one of Musharrafs lawyers,told PTI.
He has already been granted bail in the judges case as well as the Bhutto case.
Aasia Ishaque,spokesperson of Musharrafs All Pakistan Muslim League party,said he will not leave the country. Musharraf is not going to leave the country. He will continue to stay in Pakistan and fight the politically motivated cases, she told PTI.
A three-judge bench today set Musharrafs bail in the Bugti murder case at two surety bonds of Rs 1 million each.
The Balochistan High Court had turned down the former Presidents bail petition,after which he appealed in the apex court.
Welcoming the verdict,Ishaque said: It was due for a very long time. Im happy that the Supreme Court gave him bail.
Before granting bail,the bench noted that there was no evidence of conspiracy against Musharraf in the Bugti murder case. That is more important to us.
Musharraf is currently being held at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad,guarded by nearly 300 policemen,paramilitary personnel,soldiers,snipers and anti-terrorism officers.
He took power in a 1999 coup and ruled until he was forced to step down as President due to a threat of impeachment by his opponents in 2008.
Musharraf then went into exile and returned to Pakistan in March in a bid to resurrect his political career but saw himself entangled in a legal web that eventually led to his arrest.
Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti was killed in a cave on August 26,2006 during a military crackdown ordered by Musharraf,who was president and army chief at the time. Bugti led an armed campaign to press for provincial autonomy and a greater share of profits from Balochistans natural resources. His death sparked angry protests across the country.
An anti-terrorism court in Quetta had on September 30 issued warrants for producing Musharraf before it in connection with the murder case. The next hearing in the Quetta court is scheduled for October 22.
Another case against him is in connection with the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto,who was killed by a suicide bombed after a political rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
Pak Foreign Secy expected to be named envoy to US
ISLAMABAD: Veteran Pakistani diplomat and current Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani is expected to be appointed the countrys ambassador to the US ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs visit to Washington this month.
Jilani,a career diplomat,has served as Ambassador to Belgium,Luxembourg and the European Union and also did a stint in New Delhi as Deputy High Commissioner. Sources in the government told PTI that he is expected to be named for the post of the Ambassador to the US. An official announcement is expected soon.
The post has been lying vacant since former envoy Sherry Rehman,a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party,resigned in May following her partys defeat in the general election.
Jilani has specialised in South Asian affairs and served as Director India during 1992-1995,Deputy High Commissioner to New Delhi during 1999-2003 and the Director General for South Asia and SAARC during 2003-07.
