NEW DELHI, April 19 (RAPSI) – The Islamabad High Court has ordered Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf, 69, to be placed under house arrest, local media reported on Friday.
A few hours earlier, the police detained Musharraf, who fled from court on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued. According to Indian media, Musharraf's trial will take place in two days.
Musharraf, who was president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008, was arrested on charges of having illegally arrested Supreme Court judges when he declared a state of emergency in 2007.
The former president had initially been released on bail, but his immunity from arrest expired on April 18. He went to court on Thursday to obtain an extension, but the court ordered his arrest. The chief judge said he was accusing Musharraf of destroying the country's judicial system and demanded that terrorism be included in the charges.
Although the police tried to detain him, Musharraf managed to leave the court building accompanied by his bodyguards. The police then besieged his house. The court said his escape would result in additional charges.
An investigation into the illegal arrest of over 60 judges, including the head of the Supreme Court, was launched in 2009 following a lawsuit filed by a lawyer. Musharraf is also suspected of involvement in the murders of Baloch tribal leader Akbar Bugti in 2006 and ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
Last month, when the court granted immunity to Musharraf, the former army chief returned to Pakistan after nearly four years of exile. He applied in four precincts to run for the National Assembly with his party. However, three of the four rejected him, and the court later barred him from running.
