Musharraf gets bail in Bugti murder case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf in the Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case, enabling him to move freely as he has already got bails in other important cases. After the development, Musharraf has bails in all cases except the Lal Masjid Operation case, however, he is yet to be formally arrested in this respect. Earlier, Musharraf was granted bail in former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case and the judges detention case and now bail in Bugti case has brought him closer to move free anywhere. On Wednesday, a three-member SC bench headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk heard former military ruler’s appeal against the Balochistan High Court’s rejection of his bail plea in Baloch tribal chieftain Akbar Bugti murder case. The bench observed that there were no substantial evidence against Pervez Musharraf in the criminal conspiracy regarding Bugti’s murder. The court after hearing arguments from both sides granted bail to former president against two surety bonds worth one million each. Bugti was killed in 2006 in an explosion in a cave where he had taken a refuge during military operation ordered by then president and army chief Pervez Musharraf. Legal experts say after getting bail in Bugti murder case, Musharraf could move anywhere freely. As fas as the FIR of Lal Masjid was concerned, it could not put any hurdle in his way because there was no legal provision which could bar anyone on the basis of FIR. “The case of Lal Masjid has no legal ground… though police registered the case on the direction of Islamabad High Court…now a police investigation team has been looking into it whether Musharraf could be arrested or not. As per my opinion JIT would declare Musharraf innocent in this case and complainant of the case would have to face music under Section 181 for registering a false FIR,” said Musharraf’s lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri. Interestingly, currently a five-member JIT constituted by Islamabad chief commissioner to probe into the charges of murder of cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his mother Sabiha Khatoon and others, stands dissolved. However, it is yet to be seen if Musharraf could go abroad due to his name being on the Exit Control List (ECL). The Sindh High Court had directed the Interior Ministry to put Musharraf’s name on the ECL. Hearing the treason case later, the Supreme Court had also endorsed Sindh High Court’s Order. Kasuri claimed that now Musharraf could move anywhere within the country and outside, however, when pressed about the ECL, Kasuri said Musharraf’s name had been automatically removed when the SC referred the treason case to commission. On the other hand, Advocate Sheikh Ashanud Din, who is one of the petitioners in treason case against Musharraf, said the former dictator could not move abroad as his name was still on the ECL.