ISLAMABAD: A special court ordered Pakistan’s government on Friday to ensure the arrest of former President Pervez Musharraf and suspend his passport and national identity card if he fails to return to the country.
The court was constituted in November 2013 to try Musharraf for imposing a state of emergency in November 2007 when he was president.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Yahya Afridi has been hearing the case, and has directed the Interior Ministry to ask Interpol to issue “appropriate warrants” for his arrest and for his appearance before the court.
It said the government has not made enough effort to arrest Musharraf, adding: “The court was informed that the accused is presently residing in the United Arab Emirates and that there is an Extradition Treaty between the government of the UAE and Pakistan, which could be invoked to ensure the arrest of the accused and the attachment of his properties in the UAE.”
Musharraf was indicted in March 2014, but rejected the charges against him. He left Pakistan for Dubai in the same month for medical treatment after the federal government allowed him to travel abroad. A few months later, the court declared him an absconder for not appearing before the bench.
Musharraf’s counsel, Akhtar Shah, told the judges during the last hearing that his client intended to appear before the court, but that he was facing threats to his life for which he required security from the Defense Ministry.
Prosecution lawyer Akram Sheikh told the court that the Interior Ministry is ready to provide “fool-proof security” to Musharraf in Pakistan.
Shahzad Arbi, a spokesperson for Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League, said the former president had sent a formal request to the Interior Ministry on March 13 for the provision of security upon his return, and “we are still waiting for an official response from the ministry.”
Arbi said Musharraf is ready to return to Pakistan and face all cases against him if the ministry provides sufficient security.
“The ball is in the government’s court now, and we hope to receive a positive response,” Arbi told Arab News.
Interior Ministry spokesman Yasir Shakeel confirmed to Arab News receipt of Musharraf’s request for security, but declined to share further details.
Senior advocate Sharafat Ali said the government will have to comply with the court orders, otherwise contempt proceedings could be initiated against relevant Interior Ministry officials.
He said the court is pressing the government to bring back Musharraf because it cannot proceed against him in absentia.
“The government can invoke the extradition treaty with the UAE if Musharraf defies the court orders and fails to return to Pakistan voluntarily,” Ali told Arab News.
Pakistani court orders suspension of Musharraf’s passport, ID card
Pakistani court orders suspension of Musharraf’s passport, ID card
Pakistani fighter jet crashes in Jalalabad, pilot captured: Afghan military, police
- Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban military entered its third day on Saturday
- Pakistan’s strikes on Friday hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar
JALALABAD: A Pakistani jet has crashed in Jalalabad city and the pilot captured alive, the Afghan military and police said Saturday, with residents telling AFP the man parachuted from the plane before being detained.
"A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city, and its pilot was captured alive," police spokesman Tayeb Hammad said.
Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the Pakistani jet was downed by Afghan forces "and the pilot was captured alive".
The AFP journalist heard a jet overhead before blasts from the direction of the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, which sits on the road between Kabul and the Pakistani border.
Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban military entered its third day on Saturday, following overnight clashes as the international community expressed increasing concern about the conflict and called for urgent talks.
Pakistan’s strikes on Friday hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest Pakistani incursions into its western neighbor in years, officials said.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who it claims are waging an insurgency inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban denies.
Pakistan described its actions as a response to cross-border assaults, while Kabul denounced them as a breach of its sovereignty, saying it remained open to dialogue but warned any wider conflict would result in serious consequences.
The fighting has raised the risk of a protracted conflict along the rugged 2,600-kilometer frontier.
Diplomatic efforts gathered pace late on Friday as Afghanistan said its foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, spoke by telephone with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan about reducing tensions and keeping diplomatic channels open.
The European Union called for both sides to de-escalate and engage in dialogue, while the United Nations urged an immediate end to hostilities.
Russia urged both sides to halt the clashes and return to talks, while China said it was deeply concerned and ready to help ease tensions.
The United States supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against attacks by the Taliban, a State Department spokesperson said.
Border fighting continues
Exchanges of fire continued along the border overnight.
Pakistani security sources said an operation dubbed “Ghazab Lil Haq” was ongoing and that Pakistani forces had destroyed multiple Taliban posts and camps in several sectors. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.
Both sides have reported heavy losses with conflicting tolls that Reuters could not verify. Pakistan said 12 of its soldiers and 274 Taliban were killed while the Taliban said 13 of its fighters and 55 Pakistani soldiers died.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said 19 civilians were killed and 26 wounded in Khost and Paktika. Reuters could not verify the claim.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said “our cup of patience has overflowed” and described the fighting as “open war,” warning that Pakistan would respond to further attacks.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said in a speech in Khost province that the conflict “will be very costly,” and that Afghan forces had not deployed broadly beyond those already engaged.
He said the Taliban had defeated “the world, not through technology, but through unity and solidarity,” and through “great patience and perseverance,” rather than superior military power.
Pakistan’s military capabilities far exceed those of Afghanistan, with a standing army of hundreds of thousands and a modern air force.
In stark contrast, the Taliban lacks a conventional air force and relies largely on light weaponry and ground forces.
However, the Islamist group is battle-hardened after two decades of insurgency against US-led forces before returning to power in 2021.
