Pakistan’s Musharraf on the run after arrest order

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf and his security team pushed past policemen and sped away from a court in the country´s capital on Thursday to avoid arrest after his bail was revoked in a case in which he is accused of treason.

Local TV broadcast footage of the dramatic scene in which Musharraf jumped into a black SUV and escaped as a member of his security team hung to the side of the vehicle. He sped away to his large compound on the outskirts of Islamabad that is protected by high walls, razor wire and guard towers.

This week has gone from bad to worse for Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999 when he was serving as army chief and spent nearly a decade in power before being forced to step down in 2008. He returned last month after four years in self-imposed exile to make a political comeback despite legal challenges and Taliban death threats, but has since faced paltry public support.

A court in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Tuesday disqualified Musharraf from running in the parliamentary election scheduled for May 11, likely squashing his hopes for political comeback.

The case before the Islamabad High Court on Thursday involved Musharraf´s decision in 2007 to detain senior judges, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, when he declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution.

The decision outraged many Pakistanis, and further fueled a nationwide protest movement by lawyers that eventually resulted in Musharraf stepping down under the threat of impeachment.

Lawyers shouted, “Look who is running, Musharraf is running!” as Musharraf fled the court Thursday.

Before he returned to the country, Musharraf obtained pre-arrest bail for the judges´ case and two others, meaning he could not be arrested when he landed — a feature of Pakistan´s legal system.

The Islamabad High Court refused to extend that bail on Thursday and ordered his arrest, said police officer Ali Asghar.

The court previously agreed to extend his bail in the case for six days on April 12. It´s unclear why they chose to reject it this time.

Policemen were deployed at the court who could have detained the former military ruler, but he managed to escape, said Asghar.

Many of the policemen and paramilitary soldiers at the court did not seem to try to prevent Musharraf from leaving as he pushed past them.

Musharraf´s lawyer, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, complained that the court didn´t listen to their arguments.

“It is a one-sided decision,” said Kasuri.

The former military ruler´s legal team will contact the Supreme Court on Thursday to challenge the decision, said the secretary general of Musharraf´s party, Muhammad Amjad.

Musharraf´s decision to flee the court could put the Pakistani army in an awkward situation. The former general is protected by paramilitary soldiers who officially report to the Interior Ministry, but are headed by senior army officers.

Ali Dayan Hasan, the director of Human Rights Watch in Pakistan, called on the military authorities protecting Musharraf to comply with the court´s order and ensure that he presents himself for arrest.

“General Musharraf´s act today underscores his disregard for due legal process and indicates his assumption that as a former army chief and military dictator he can evade accountability for abuses,” said Hasan in a statement sent to reporters.