Former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf may leave the country tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, one day ahead of Nawaz Sharif’s election as prime minister, to visit his ailing mother at a hospital in Dubai as she has developed serious health problems.
He is currently in detention at his house in Shehzad Town which has been declared prison by the authorities. He was placed on exit control list (ECL) by the director general immigration and passport on April 7 last after issuance of directive by Sindh High Court while granting him protective bail. A circular was issued to all the exit points including the airports to not let the former president leave the country.
Later the Supreme Court also directed authorities to ensure that the former president did not leave the country. The order came as an SC bench took up a high treason case against the former army chief and president of the country who ousted Nawaz Sharif’s government in 1999 in a bloodless coup by defying the constitution.
Well placed sources privy to the developments said on Sunday evening that an application for the bail would be adjudicated on Tuesday and with that he would be moving the court for scrapping his name from the ECL since he had to proceed to Dubai immediately for visiting his ailing mother.
The pre-arrest bail in the Nawab Akbar Bugti assassination case would be taken up by another court on Thursday next a day after assumption of the office of the prime minister by Nawaz Sharif. Pervez Musharraf would not be required to appear personally for the plea in the court for grant of pre-arrest bail.
However, sources in the interior ministry and the director general immigration and passport said that there was no truth about removal of the name of Pervez Musharraf from the ECL unless the apex court issued an order for the same. The speculation is baseless in this regard, the sources maintained.