Musharraf gets pre-arrest bail before his planned return

Karachi: Clearing the way for his homecoming, a Pakistani court on Friday granted former military ruler Pervez Musharraf pre-arrest bail in several cases in some of which he has been declared a proclaimed offender. The Sindh High Court granted a 10 day bail period to the 69-year-old former president who is expected to return to Karachi on March 24 after being in exile since 2009.

The high court also granted Musharraf a pre-arrest bail in the Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto murder cases. Reacting to the court`s ruling Mushrraf tweeted, "I am happy to learn the (Sindh High Court) has granted me relief by authorising pre-arrest bail in all the politically motivated cases filed against me." A spokesman for Musharraf`s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said that the first application for pre-arrest bail was in relation to the Provisional Constitutional Order Judges case which dates back to 2007. At that time the former President had issued a Provisional Constitutional Order, which declared a state of emergency and suspended the Constitution. All judges were asked to take oath under the PCO, failing which, they were placed under house arrest. The spokesman was not willing to divulge any more details about Musharraf`s return but the former President has asked the government to provide him with a bullet proof vehicle as he remains on the hit list of many militant organisations notably the Tehreek-e-Taliban. The 69-year-old former President, who went into self-exile in early 2009, has said he intends to return to Pakistan to lead his party in the upcoming polls. He has been shuttling between London and Dubai after he went out of Pakistan in exile. The anti-terrorism court had declared Musharraf a fugitive and issued arrest warrants for him after he refused to cooperate with investigators probing Bhutto`s assassination. Yesterday, media reports said Pakistan`s request to issue a Red Corner Notice for Musharraf was rejected by the Interpol, saying the charges were "politically motivated". PTI