Former Pakistani military ruler, retired General Pervez Musharraf, has postponed his return to the country from self-imposed exile over security concerns, news reports said here yesterday.
According to Geo News TV channel, the former president, who ruled the country between 1999 and 2007 after staging a coup and was ordered to appear before a special court in the next hearing of a high treason case against him, informed persons close to him in Pakistan.
Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, however, issued a statement soon after reports of Musharraf’s decision to postpone his visit to Pakistan were aired by the media, stating that security should not be a concern for the former president.
“The government will provide Musharraf with security as prescribed by the law,” Iqbal said. “Security should not be a concern for him. He should continue with his plans to return to the country without any hesitation.”
The defendant’s legal counsel Akhter Shah also expressed distrust in the interior ministry for the provision of “foolproof” security to his client.
Shah said he could not advise his client to return to the country till he was satisfied with the security arrangements for Musharraf.
Sources had said that the ministry of defence last week refused to provide security to Musharraf upon his return to Pakistan.
According to a letter sent to Musharraf’s lawyer, the “provision of security under the subject case does not fall under the purview of the ministry of defence”.
Shah had confirmed the receipt of the letter and stated that he would raise the issue, again, in the special court hearing the treason case against the former president and army chief.
He also expressed distrust on the interior ministry’s ability to provide foolproof security to Musharraf.
In a notification issued by the interior ministry on March 19, in response to a plea by Musharraf’s lawyer requesting security, the ministry had said that it is willing to provide “foolproof” security to the former president.
The defendant’s legal counsel, however, had said the interior ministry could not be trusted with providing security to his client as the ministry itself had levelled charges against Musharraf.