The former Pakistan
President and the army chief Pervez Musharraf have been granted bail in a case involving him for allegedly killing a separatist leader. This may pave his way for an end to his ongoing house arrest and it is very much possible that he may
bid adieu to his country soon. This was confirmed by Musharraf’s lawyers. Akbar
Bugti a separatist leader was killed by the Pakistan Army in 2006 when he was
hiding in a cave and the Army took on an operation in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
Musharraf snatched power from the then democratically
elected government of Nawaz Sharif in the year 1999 via a bloodless coup and
then stick to the power till he was forced to step down in 2008, became the
first former army chief who has been
arrested in the long history of Pakistan. He was arrested earlier this year,
after he returned from London
ending his self imposed exile for nearly four years. He was first flown to Dubai and then to London
in the process.
Apart from this case his name is also involved in the 2007
assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Ms. Benazir Bhutto. The current
decision will allow Mr. Musharraf to travel across the country and outside of
it, if he wishes to. He is under house arrest in his own farmhouse, situated on
the outskirts of Islamabad,
the country’s capital.
His lawyer Mr. Ibrahim Satti told reporters, “After some
legal procedures, he will be a free man.” After 3 judge bench found
insufficient evidence against Mr. Musharraf in Bugti case, it has allowed him
bail under surety bonds worth around US$ 19,500. As per Mr. Satti the case will go on till it
reaches a conclusion even when Musharraf is roaming free.
During the recently held general elections in Pakistan
Musharraf was disqualified from contesting the elections from all the seats he
was contesting because of the criminal charges against him mentioned above.
