'Police clear Musharraf in death of Lal Masjid cleric'

Pakistani police have cleared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf of any direct involvement in the death of a cleric of the radical Lal Masjid during a 2007 military operation, according to a media report today.
Musharraf was not named as one of the main accused in a police report after a joint investigation team completed its probe into the killing of cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his mother, Express News channel reported.
The former President was named only in Section II of the report, which pertains to those accused of assisting in a crime as opposed to having directly perpetrated it.

The case against Musharraf over the killing of Ghazi was registered after the cleric's son petitioned the courts.
Musharraf was recently arrested on charges of involvement in the killing of Ghazi during the operation, which was launched to flush our extremists holed up in the mosque in the heart of Islamabad.
According to the police report, investigators recorded Musharraf's statement and inputs from several witnesses.

The cleric's son, Haroon Rashid Ghazi, was unable to provide any solid evidence against Musharraf. Hence, Musharraf could not be blamed directly, the report said.
The Islamabad High Court will announce its final decision on the case on November 1.

Musharraf has been under arrest for nearly six months at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad, guarded by nearly 300 security personnel.
He has been granted bail in three major cases registered against him over the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and the imposition of emergency in 2007.
Just as it seemed that he might be released from house arrest, police arrested him in the Lal Masjid case.