Details of Musharraf’s four estates in DHA submitted in court

Karachi

As per a report of the court’s Nazir, submitted to district and sessions court (South) judge, four estates – located in DHA - of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf were liable to be forfeited to the state, however, a second report submitted by the additional military estate officer maintained that one of the bungalows was Musharraf’s daughter’s property and could, hence, not be confiscated.

The reports were submitted in light of the judge’s orders to the Court Nazir with respect to assessing the General’s total number of properties. The court official had on July 26 written a letter to administrator DHA to provide details of the properties owned by Musharraf.

The property - located in Zamzama Street Askari Villa - mentioned by the military officer was the former president’s daughter, Aila Raza’s, property and could not be confiscated.

A law expert speaking to The News said that though a retired army officer and former president’s properties had never previously been confiscated but this was the first time that a person of that position was being tried in this manner.

The court in Karachi was directed by a special court, in Islamabad, hearing the sedition case filed against Gen Musharraf, to ask the DHA administration to report progress over the matter within three days.

The court had noted that the properties, including a bungalow in Zamzama and three plots in other parts of the DHA were liable to be attached under Section 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the criminal procedure code; however, it was declared that one of the bungalows could not be confiscated in legal terms.

The properties underlined in the court order included a bungalow on Khayaban-e-Faisal, Phase-VIII, DHA, bungalows No 301 and 301-B also located in DHA Phase VIII; the fourth bungalow No 6 located in Zamzama was also identifed.

On July 19, a three-judge special court, headed by Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel, the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court had ordered the authorities to attach Gen Musharraf’s moveable and immovable properties after he failed to turn up in court since March despite several notices.

He left the country on March 18 after his name was removed from the Exit Control List after the Supreme Court upheld an order of the Sindh High Court directing for his name to be removed from the list.

In Karachi, the District and Sessions Judge (South) Nazir Amin Memon was directed to take action. The judge while following the special court’s directive issued a notice to DHA for doing the needful.

In March 2014, Musharraf was formally indicted over treason charges for declaring an emergency and imposing the Provisional Constitutional Order on November 3, 2007. He had come to power in 1999 after the sacking of the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 

Facing impeachment, the General stepped down in 2008 and went into self exile in Dubai. He formed his own political party All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) which he continues to head till today.

He returned to Pakistan in 2013 to contest elections but instead had to face several high-profile cases including the assassination case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, illegal detention of judges’ case, imposition of illegal emergency and the sedition case.