Former president Musharraf challenges non-bailable arrest warrant

Islamabad, April 4: Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has challenged the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him by an Islamabad sessions court, media reported on Saturday.

Former military ruler has challenged it on Friday.

A sessions court in Islamabad issued the non-bailable warrant on April 2 in a case pertaining to the murder of former cleric of Lal Masjid Ghazi Abdul Rasheed in Islamabad in 2007, Dawn online reported.

In his plea, he contended that police had declared him innocent after a thorough investigation in the case and had placed his name in column 2 of the investigation report, prepared under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and commonly known as the case challan.

The petition stated that on April 2,former president had to appear before a medical board set up to ascertain his health under the directions of a Quetta anti-terrorism court (ATC), where the Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti murder case is pending adjudication.

The petition requested the court to set aside the non-bailable arrest warrant. A single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) headed by Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi is likely to hear the petition on April 6.

Aabpara Police had, in September 2013, registered an FIR against former president Musharraf for his alleged role in the murder of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. The case was registered on the orders of the Islamabad High Court, on a petition filed by Haroonur Rashid, the cleric's son.

The former military ruler was booked under sections 302 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), relating to murder and abetment.

In October 2013, police submitted a challan to the sessions court, declaring ex-president Musharraf innocent and left him at the mercy of the court.

OneIndia News