Raheel Sharif helped me in leaving Pakistan: Musharraf

Former Pakistan president general (retired) Pervez Musharraf has said former army chief general Raheel Sharif helped him to leave the country by influencing the courts

"Well he, (Raheel Sharif) did help me and I am absolutely clear and grateful. I have been his boss and I have been the army chief before him... he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL, they turned it into a political issue," the Dawnquoted Musharraf, as saying in an interview to a local news channel.

He said that unfortunately someone had to reveal this.

Musharraf said the judiciary should move towards justice.

He said that the army chief had a role to play in releasing the pressure behind the scenes as these courts work under pressure behind the scenes and then give decisions.

The former president said that General (retired) Sharif eased the pressure which the government was putting on the courts.

Musharraf said the courts gave their judgement and allowed him to go abroad for treatment after General (retired) Sharif got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting.

Musharraf had left the country for Dubai in March earlier this year after the the Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel by the interior ministry who had issued a notification to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).