Dismissing the federal government’s appeal, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday allowed former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to go abroad.
The apex court upheld the Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict regarding removal of Musharraf’s name from the exit control list (ECL).
In a short verdict, the SC bench declared that the Sindh High Court’s decision was justified.
The high court on June 12, 2014 had ordered that the name of former president should be removed from the ECL.
The federal government had appealed against the SHC’s decision to lift a travel ban which had briefly raised speculation that the 70-year-old could escape from a series of legal woes.
Musharraf said he wants the travel ban lifted so he can visit his sick mother in Dubai. But his opponents see it as a ruse to flee the country and avoid a series of cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule. These include an indictment for treason over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007, a historic first in a country ruled for half its existence by the military.
He has been staying with his daughter in Karachi since April 2014, where he travelled for tests at a navy-run hospital. Musharraf has been undergoing medical treatment since January 2014 after suffering heart problems on his way to court for a hearing.
The former ruler came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Facing impeachment following the 2008 elections, Musharraf resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. He returned to Pakistan in March 2013 with the hope of running in the national election held in May. But he was disqualified and has spent most of his time since battling legal cases.