Musharraf permanently banned from contesting polls

Islamabad, April 30: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday permanently banned former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting elections in the country. The order is certain to derail Musharraf's efforts to regain influence in Pakistan's electoral politics.

It was the first time that a Pakistani court had barred a citizen from contesting elections for life.

Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March to contest the historic May 11 general elections but was disqualified by the election officials from all the constituencies he wanted to fight from owing to court cases pending against him. The Peshawar High Court had rejected Musharraf's appeal against disqualification. He was later arrested and put under house arrest.

Chief Justice of the high court Dost Mohammad Khan said Musharraf had ordered house arrest of senior judges and their families and had also abrogated the country's constitution twice.

The May 11 elections are historic for it will be the first time in the country's history that one democratically elected government will pave the way for another elected government.

OneIndia News