Former Pakistani President Musharraf to face arrest upon return to country

2012-01-08 08:20:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will be arrested on a previously issued arrest warrant if he returns to the country later this month, officials told reporters on Saturday.

Government prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told a number of news outlets, including Voice of America (VOA) reporters in the region, that the country is prepared to honor an arrest warrant for the former leader on charges that he was involved in the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who was killed near Islamabad in 2007.

Musharraf had blamed the attack on the Pakistani Taliban, but following his resignation as president of the country, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutors found that he had known about the threat and failed to inform authorities to protect the opposition figure. The arrest warrant was issued in February 2011.

Ali announced that plans are in place to take Musharraf into custody as soon as his plane lands in Pakistan, local media reported. The arrest warrant includes an order to seize all of his property.

Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and quit in August 2008 after a new government led by the party of assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto threatened to impeach him. He was replaced by Zardari, Bhutto's widower.

After his resignation in 2008, Musharraf fled the country and finally ended up in London. In October 2010, the former leader formed his own section of the All Pakistan Muslim League and announced plans to return to the country as early as later this month.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in the city of Rawalpindi in December 2007 when gunshots were fired, followed by a large explosion caused by a suicide bomber. The attack left at least 24 people killed, including Bhutto who was campaigning for the general election.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-08

I thought Musharraf had been staying in Dubai....

Ohhh... right... That's the OTHER ousted dictator....

Hmmm... maybe the Thais could learn a thing or two from their Pakistani colleagues....