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The son of Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who died in the Lal Majid operation at the Red Mosque, filed an application to have former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf added to the Exit Control List today. This would prevent him from leaving the country, as many have speculated that he would after being granted bail in another murder on Wednesday.
The application said that if Musharraf left Pakistan, it would be very difficult to bring him back. It also indicated that Islamabad’s Aabpara police station was investigating the former dictator for order the Lal Masjid operation in 2007. More than 100 people died that day.
After his re-arrest today, the court said Musharraf would have to pay three more surety bonds in the Islamabad High Court and the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court. His lawyers said those bonds would not be paid until they were certain that his name was not on the Exit Control List.
Musharraf was out of Pakistan for years after being forced out of office and went into a self-imposed exile in 2008. He returned to Pakistan this year in an attempt to get back into office.
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Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is back under arrest in Islamabad today. Murder charges were filed against him on Sept. 2, but then bail was set and Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his release. Those charges were filed in connection with the death of Baloch politician and tribal elder Nawab Akber Bugti.
This time, however, the murder charges against President Pervez Musharraf are for the death of Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who was killed in the Lal Majid operation. The case claims that Musharraf was personally responsible for the deaths of over 100 people after ordering the 2007 raid of the Red Mosque.
Bail granted in Bugti case Wednesday
Musharraf had already received bail in two other murder cases, including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. The judge decided on Wednesday that there wasn’t enough evidence to hold him in Bugti’s murder. Musharraf’s lawyers paid two bail bonds, each amounting to 1 million rupees. By paying bail, he was free to leave the country, and there was speculation that he would.
This story is developing. Check back for further updates.
