Musharraf faces arrest over Lal Masjid murders

Islamabad, March 10:

A Pakistan court on Tuesday issued a bailable arrest warrant against former president Pervez Musharraf regarding the murders of Lal Masjid cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and his wife.

Islamabad’s Additional Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan presided over the hearing and rejected four requests by Musharraf’s counsel and adjourned the hearing till April 2, Dawn online reported.

In 2013, police registered a case against Musharraf over the alleged murder of cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and his wife during the Lal Masjid military operation.

Musharraf faces a string of court cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, including the death of Ghazi, one of more than 100 people killed after Pakistani troops stormed the Lal Masjid in Islamabad on July 10, 2007.

The mosque was the scene of a week-long military siege against radicals that unleashed a wave of militant attacks across Pakistan.

Musharraf also faces treason charges over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007.

He further faces murder accusations over the 2006 death of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

(IANS)