A Pakistani court on Saturday rejected the petition of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf seeking permanent exemption from appearance in a case of the murder of a cleric during the lal Masjid operation in 2007.
Musharraf has been accused of murdering lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi during the infamous siege of the mosque. Rejecting 70-year-old Musharraf’s petition, Additional District and Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan has summoned the former president on May 3.
During the hearing, Musharraf’s counsel presented his arguments saying that the former Army chief faced death threats, adding that he was targeted in an attack two days earlier as a result of which he could not appear in court.
He sought exemption for Musharraf from appearing in court. The court granted Musharraf exemption from appearance for on Saturday hearing and adjourned the case to three months. But the former President’s request seeking permanent exemption from attending the case’s hearings was dismissed.
Rasheed was killed during the storming of the lal Masjid, a government crackdown on the controversial pro-Taliban mosque in Islamabad. The operation had ended in a deadly eight-day siege killing at least 58 Pakistani troops and seminary students.