With General (r) Pervez Musharraf in hospital, speculation is rife in the country about a possible exit plan to send the former dictator abroad for treatment.
Musharraf, 70, suffered a “severe heart attack” on Thursday on his way to a special court to face high treason charges and was admitted to an army hospital.
A private news channel reported that the decision whether to send the former military dictator abroad or to treat him in the country would be taken after the release of his medical report. However, it later quoted senior government sources and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif as saying no such proposal was under consideration.
Official sources maintain that it is not the government but the court that has to take a decision on letting Musharraf out of the country for treatment if the need arises.
Asked if Musharraf would be taken abroad for treatment, his lawyer Mohammad Ali Saif told reporters outside the court, “We will wait for the doctor’s opinion”.
Replying to queries on Musharraf’s name been on the interior ministry’s Exit Control List (ECL), he said the name has been put by the government.
Musharraf had earlier wanted to visit his ailing mother in Dubai but was not able to go because his name is on the ECL list.
Adding to speculation was the upcoming visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal here on a two-day official visit on January 6. Speculation is rife that this visit could be linked to a possible exit plan for Musharraf.
It was the Saudi intervention that allowed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to leave the country after Musharraf ousted him in a bloodless coup in 1999.