A court in Islamabad on Wednesday ordered the release of former President Pervez Musharraf two days after he was granted bail in the murder case of the deputy chief of Islamabad’s Red Mosque.
The former president has already got bails in two other high profile cases -- the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the murder of senior tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in 2006 in a military operation.
Additional Session Judge, Wajid Ali, ordered Musharraf should be released as his lawyers deposited two surety bonds, each of one hundred thousand rupees.
Lawyers say the former President is likely to be set free later on Wednesday after the written ordered is reached at his farmhouse in Islamabad which has been detained over the past few months.
Musharraf's defence lawyer, Ilyas Siddiqi, said the former President is now a free man and that he can go anywhere he wants.
Musharraf was formally arrested in the murder case of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the senior cleric of the Red Mosque who was killed in the military operation during Musharraf rule in 2007. Nearly 90 religious students and 11 security personnel had been killed during the three-day clashes in July 2007.
"Pervez Musharraf has been granted bails in all cases. There are no restrictions on his movement," Siddiqi told reporters after the court issued his release order.
The lawyer also demanded removal of Musharraf's name from the Exit Control List.
Musharraf was accused of issuing orders for the military raid on the mosque and its girls' religious school "Jamia Hafsa" after some of the armed students took control of the buildings and had refused to surrender.
Musharraf's lawyers argued in the court that the former President had not issued any written order for the military raid on the militants-affiliated “Lal Masjid” and that then government had been dealing the matter.
It is widely believed in Pakistan that bail to Musharraf in the mosque case has paved the way for his possible going abroad. However, a Musharraf's lawyer insisted that the former military leader will not leave the country.
Some opposition leaders say that the government and the former president have entered into a secret deal that will allow Musharraf to leave the country. But the government has not confirmed any deal.
Musharraf returned to the country in March after a nearly four- year self exile to take part in elections. However, a court had disqualified him for standing in the May elections.
The former president, who leads All Pakistan Muslim League, is under detention at his farmhouse in Islamabad and his lawyers are now confident that he will soon be a free man.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says that former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, cannot leave the country as his name is included in the list of those who are barred from going abroad.
"Musharraf's name was on Exit Control List and it would not be removed till the court's decision," Khan told reporters last week.
The former military ruler also faces high treason case and an investigation team has already questioned him as to why he had suspended the constitution when he had imposed emergency in 2007. The high treason case was initiated after Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, announced in June his government has formally approached the Supreme Court for Musharraf’s trial.
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