Slain Lal Masjid cleric's son seeks red warrant against

Pakistan's former dictator General Pervez Musharraf should be brought back to the country for trial in connection with the bloody military crackdown on the Red Mosque in 2007, a son of the slain cleric of the famed Islamabad mosque has said in his fresh application to police, media reports said today.
Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed in a military crackdown in July 2007 ordered by Musharraf. In 2013, a murder case was registered against the 74-year-old former military ruler.
In his fresh application to the Aabpara police, Rashid's son Haroon Rashid approached the police to issue red warrant against Musharraf.

Haroon said he was the complainant in the case registered against Musharraf under the charge of killing his father and grandmother during the operation, Dawn News reported.
"Instead of facing the court trial, the nominated accused, retired General Musharraf fled the country," the application stated, adding the trial court declared him a proclaimed offender in 2016.
The court also seized his property besides issuing him a non-bailable arrest warrant, he added.

An additional district and sessions judge in 2017 observed that it was the discretion of the investigating officer to get the red warrant issued against a proclaimed offender.
The judge stated this when Haroon filed a petition in the court.

Haroon requested the police to issue red warrant of General Musharraf so that he may be arrested through Interpol.
When contacted, Haroon said in the past red warrants were issued to bring a number of suspects back to the country for trials. A similar step should be taken against Musharraf, he added.
Musharraf ruled from 1999 to 2008 and military operation launched under his rule created widespread resentment against him. He is wanted by courts in several criminal cases but he lives in Dubai dodging the courts.
Rashid, together with his brother Abdul Aziz used to run the Lal Masjid in the capital and the adjoining Jamia Hafsa seminary. However, in 2007, military commandoes stormed it to take on the militants holed up inside. Rashid was killed in the operation.

The former president was arrested on October 10 and was granted bail by a sessions judge on November 4, 2013 in connection with the Red Mosque case.