SC rules out polls for Musharraf after repeated no-shows

• Counsel tells court former dictator wants to return to Pakistan but ‘certain situation’ prevailing in country won’t let him
• APML secretary general says Musharraf will come back after his passport is restored by govt

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended its interim verdict permitting former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf to submit his nomination papers for the general elections after he failed to appear before the court on Thursday.

A four-judge bench of the apex court, headed by the chief justice, was hearing Musharraf’s appeal against his 2013 disqualification by the Peshawar High Court.

The apex court had allowed the former military strongman to contest elections on a condition that he appears before the court on June 13. The court then extended the deadline to June 14 and asked Musharraf to appear before it in Lahore at 2pm or face the consequences.

Following the court order, Musharraf submitted nomination papers to contest elections from NA-1 constituency from Chitral. However, now his nomination papers stand void after his repeated absences from the court as his papers could only be considered if he had appeared at the SC.

At the outset of the hearing at Lahore Registry on Thursday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar inquired about former general’s intentions to appear before the court and ordered the deputy attorney general to “find out whether or not the accused will appear before the court”.

“The hearing was scheduled for 2pm but we can [still] wait if Musharraf will appear [before the court],” Justice Nisar said.

However, Musharraf’s counsel Qamar Afzal apprised the bench that his client wants to return to the country and face the court, but a “certain situation” prevailing in the country besides Eidul Fitr holidays is a hurdle in his return.

Adjourning the case for an unspecified period of time, the court took back its directive allowing Musharraf to file nomination papers and asked his lawyer to let the court know when he wants the case to be heard next.

All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) Secretary General Dr Amjad, who also appeared the court, said Musharraf’s return was delayed as his passport was still not restored. He said that Musharraf is ready to return in light of SC‘s orders; however, his passport has not be restored despite the directions of the court. “He will depart for the country as soon as his passport is restored,” he maintained.

On Wednesday, CJP Saqib Nisar said that the apex court was not bound to accept Musharraf’s condition regarding guarantee for his return, as the court has already granted him protection by letting him practice politics in Pakistan without any fear.

He said that if Musharraf is a commando, he should come to Pakistan instead of ‘mis-committing like politicians’. Didn’t you get afraid when you took over the country, the CJP had quipped.

If Musharraf has Parkinson’s disease then how will he participate in general elections 2018, he had wondered.

Pervez Musharraf, who came into through a military coup in 1999 and held on to power till 2008, had left Pakistan in March 2016 on the pretext of backache after his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) by the interior ministry.

Then interior minister Nisar Ali Khan had announced at a press conference that the government had decided to allow Musharraf to travel abroad for treatment after the Supreme Court lifted a ban on Musharraf’s foreign travel a day ago.

Musharraf had “promised to return in four to six weeks” to face all cases against him in court, the minister had said.

Furthermore, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) last year declared Musharraf an absconder in the murder case of Benazir Bhutto.