Pak court summons Musharraf over cleric's murder case

A court in Pakistan today summoned former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on December 6 in connection with the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, dismissing security threats to him.
Musharraf's lawyer had asked the court to grant him exemption from appearance due to his health problems and security threats by Islamic militants.
The case was filed after Haroon Rasheed, Ghazi's son, submitted an application at the Aabpara police station for the registration of an FIR against the former president.
Advocate Abdul Haq representing Harood said that the district and sessions court in Islamabad rejected all pleas by the defence and ordered 71-year-old Musharraf to appear in person on the next hearing on December 6.

The case was registered against Musharraf for the murder of the former cleric and his mother during the Red Mosque operation of 2007.
During the last hearing on October 14, the court had issued a similar order and asked Musharraf to appear in person today but he failed to oblige.

The court on the last hearing had also threatened to issued arrest warrants if he failed to appear but today the court did not issue any such warrant and once again only summon him.
Musharraf grabbed power in 1999 and was forced to resign in 2008 after his supporters lost polls. He returned in 2013 after about five years of self-exile but faces a slew of cases.

Currently, Musharraf is on bail in four criminal cases while the treason case is going on in a special tribunal.