Former dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf was shifted back to his Mediterranean-style farmhouse in Chak Shahzad on the outskirts of Islamabad hours after an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad ordered a 14-day judicial remand for the former military strongman in the judges’ detention case.
Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi of the ATC issued the order which made it imperative for Musharraf to re-appear in court on May 4.
During the hearing of the case, dozens of lawyers shouted slogans against the former president, who ruled the country nearly a decade on the strength of his uniform, and even tried to manhandle him. However, security personnel managed to pull the former president from the lawyers’ grip. In an unprecedented move, Rangers personnel holding guns also entered the court room for his security.
Around a dozen activists of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) were also present in court premises, who raised slogans in favour of their leader. However, the charged lawyers mercilessly beat them with kicks and fists. Later, the APML submitted an application with Margalla Police Station against a group of lawyers, who thrashed and manhandled its workers.
Inside the courtroom, Musharraf’s lawyer Qamar Afzal submitted before the judge that his client was cooperating with the police investigators, therefore there was no need to hand him over to police for further physical remand.
The opposing lawyers, Ashraf Gujjar and Bilal opposed the request and contended that Musharraf still needed to be interrogated with regards to all the events that took place as an outcome of the occurrence reported in the FIR.
Ashraf Gujjar pleaded that Musharraf, who was involved in allegedly subverting the Constitution, imposing emergency in 2007, sacking and confining judges of superior courts, was being given special treatment by the police. He requested the court for physical remand of the former ruler.
The court order issued at the end of the proceedings stated, “Perusal of the available record reveals the accused had been thoroughly investigated and his statements had been recorded by the investigation officer. Prosecution through investigation officer has requested for his remand to judicial lock-up with a contention that the accused, for the time being is no more required for investigation. Therefore, keeping in view the request, the accused is remanded to judicial lock-up, who shall be produced before the court on May 4, 2013,”
Soon after the court’s order, local authorities declared his farmhouse residence a sub-jail and Musharraf was moved there hours after being taken to the police headquarters in the wake of the ruling.
During the hearing of the case at the ATC established on Friday, the police had requested the judge to order a judicial remand for the former president. The petitioner’s counsel, Ashraf Gujjar, had requested the court to order a physical remand of the retired general.
Gujjar had also objected to the fact that Musharraf was brought to the court amidst heavy security.
Moreover, Musharraf’s lawyers had been seeking bail for their client which was cancelled by the Islamabad High Court earlier this week.
The former president was arrested in the judges’ detention case and was shifted to the Police Lines Headquarters from his Chak Shahzad farmhouse. A local court in Islamabad had granted two days’ transit custody of the retired general to the police and had directed them to produce him before the “court of competent jurisdiction/Anti Terrorism Court on or before April 21, 2013”.
Meetings banned
Meanwhile, Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Yaseen Farooq has banned meetings with the former president.
According to reports, the ban on meetings with Musharraf was imposed after clashes between the supporters of the chief of APML and lawyers.
Treason case: Only three would do!
In a related development, an application filed by the former dictator for formation of a full bench for his trial in the treason case was rejected by the Supreme Court on Saturday, and a three member bench was given the task instead.
The three-judge bench now constituted to hear the treason charges comprises Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Aijaz Afzal Khan. Previously, only Justice Khawaja and Justice Khilji had been hearing the case against the former general.