Published: 2013 April 19 06:53:14 (4292 Views)

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was arrested on Friday in a case relating to the imposition of emergency rule in 2007 and was presented before a magistrate, becoming the first former army chief to face such action.

Police officials arrested the 69-year-old former military strongman on Friday morning at his farmhouse and took him to the court of judicial magistrate Muhammad Abbas Shah.

The magistrate remanded Musharraf in police custody and directed the police to produce him before anti-terrorism court in two days.

Earlier, the police officials informed the magistrate that they did not need physical custody of Musharraf and he could be placed in judicial custody.

However, lawyers for several persons who have filed petitions against Musharraf for imposing emergency in 2007 and detaining over 60 members of the superior judiciary contended that he should kept in police custody.

They also questioned why Musharraf had not been handcuffed by police after his arrest.

Musharraf's lawyer Qamar Afzal argued that his client should be kept in judicial custody as there were serious threats to his life.

The magistrate reserved his verdict in the matter and Musharraf left the court complex after waiting for some time for a decision.

Footage on television showed Musharraf being led into the magistrate's small office by dozens of policemen and paramilitary personnel. Musharraf looked shaken and was wearing a waistcoat over a shalwar-kameez.

The arrest came a day after the Islamabad high court ordered the arrest of Musharraf for not cooperating with police officials investigating a case registered against him for detaining dozens of judges, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, during the 2007 emergency.

Analysts said Musharraf's arrest could put the judiciary in conflict with the powerful military, which would not like to see a former chief being humiliated or insulted in public.

The analysts further said that if Musharraf was put on trial, members of the current military leadership, including army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, could be dragged into the matter as they were part of Musharraf's inner circle when he imposed emergency rule in 2007.

Earlier this week, Musharraf was disqualified from contesting next month's general election, effectively ending his ambitions for a political comeback. Authorities have also barred him from travelling out of Pakistan.

- TOI

You might also want to read this

• Zimbabwe beat Pakistan in historic win
• President Musharraf on the run after escaping arrest

Comment as Anonymous | Comment With Facebook Submit

There are no comments.

Big Reads

© Copyright 2025 Zim Metro is not responsible for the content of external sites | Contact Us: editor@zimmetro.net | RSS Feeds | Sitemap