A lower court trying former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for launching a military crackdown on the famous Lal Masjid on Saturday passed an order confiscating his property.
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The court declared Musharraf proclaimed offender due to his persistent absence from the court and ordered for confiscation of his property.
When the court took up the case on Saturday, advocate Irum Shaheen, who appeared on behalf of Musharraf, requested the court to adjourn the case till next month saying Shah, the senior lawyer defending Musharraf, was overseas.
Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Court decided this while hearing Lal Masjid operation case and adjourned proceedings till appearance of former army chief before the court. A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against the former president in February in connection with the murder case.
“Today the court has started the process to declare retired Gen Musharraf an absconder”, said Tariq Asad, counsel for the complainant in the cleric’s murder case.
“Today’s court order will help mount pressure on the government, “said Mr Asad”.
The Baloch Republican Party on Saturday said it was planning to file cases against Mr Musaharraf in the International Court of Justice regarding his alleged involvement in the killing of women and children in Balochistan province, said party founder Brahamdagh Bugti. He resigned in 2008 to avoid possible impeachment and went into exile overseas.
The travel ban was lifted in March.
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101 people including 14 soldiers were killed and almost 250 others injured in Pakistan Army’s eight-day operation to flush out terrorists from the compound of Lal Masjid, situated in Islamabad’s G-6 sector, in July 2007. But four cases against Musharraf remain – one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, as well as those alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and the raid on the Red Mosque.
