Show up on 13th, SC to Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday directed former military dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf to appear before the Supreme Court on June 13 and assured him that he will not be arrested while coming to the court.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heard Musharraf’s appeal against the order of the Peshawar High Court (LHC) that disqualified him from contesting the 2013 general elections.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed that if Musharraf appeared before him at the Lahore Registry on June 13, then he will not be arrested. During the hearing Musharraf’s counsel Qamar Afzal appeared before the court.

The chief justice inquired from him as to who was Syed Pervez Musharraf, the counsel replied that Pervez Musharraf was the former army chief and president. The counsel informed the court that the Election Tribunal of Peshawar High Court had in 2013 rejected Musharraf’s nomination papers, disqualifying him for lifetime from contesting the elections.

At this, the chief justice said they will hear Pervez Musharraf’s case and asked the counsel to intimate his client to ensure his appearance before him at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry on June 13.

The chief justice said the authorities will be directed not to arrest the former president while coming to the court. Qamar Afzal also informed the court that the deadline was approaching for his client to file his nomination papers.

The chief justice, however, told the counsel that he will direct the returning officer (RO) to accept Musharraf’s nomination papers but conditional to the final verdict on his appeal.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) had disqualified Musharraf for life prior to the 2013 general election.

Musharraf had filed a plea with the Supreme Court against the PHC’s verdict in 2016. It is pertinent to mention that the Special Court, hearing the high treason case, had already declared Pervez Musharraf in 2016 as an absconder under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce him before it.

The court had also issued arrest warrants for Musharraf and confiscated his properties as well. In a related development, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has blocked Musharraf’s computerised national identity card (CNIC), sources informed the Geo News, Thursday.

With the CNIC's blocking, Musharraf's passport has also been blocked and accounts frozen. Meanwhile, the chief justice rejected pleas seeking correction of discrepancies in delimitation of constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The CJP remarked that if the delimitation of constituencies was changed, it will impact the election schedule across the country. He told the petitioners that the delimitation carried out by the Election Commission of Pakistan was final and candidates would have to contest elections accordingly.

The chief justice disposed of the petitions along with nine others seeking fresh delimitation in various constituencies. Mian Saqib Nisar said he would not allow the election schedule to be affected.