Judges’ confinement: Pervez Musharraf granted interim bail till April 18

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday extended the interim bail of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf till April 18, Geo News reported.

Pervez Musharraf appeared before the IHC today to seek an extension in his bail in the judges’ house arrest case. The court granted him extension till April 18 and directed him to submit security bonds worth Rs 500,000.

Massive security accompanied former leader Pervez Musharraf as he appeared again in court on Friday, bailed for another week for charges relating to his nine years in office.

The authorities shut down main roads, causing significant bottlenecks, as heavily armed paramilitary police, some of them dressed in riot gear, and plain-clothed intelligence agents fanned around the Islamabad high court.

Snipers were posted on rooftops to guard the main approach as Musharraf arrived in a black jeep, accompanied by a bristling convoy of bodyguards.

He was wearing a bullet-proof jacket, an unprecedented precaution by a major figure making a public appearance in the capital.

Musharraf spent barely 20 minutes inside the courtroom to listen to the judge grant him bail until April 18, when he has been ordered to appear in person again, over his November 2007 sacking of judges, which paved the way for his downfall.

It was Musharraf's second appearance in court since he returned home on March 24 to contest general elections in May after four years of self-imposed exile, and his third bail extension in the judges' case.

He has also been bailed over the 2007 killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Akbar Bugti murder case.

On Monday, Musharraf's lawyers will also appear in the Supreme Court over demands that the 69-year-old go on trial for treason for subverting the constitution by sacking judges in 2007.

Musharraf has been approved to stand in one constituency in the May 11 election, which will mark the first democratic transition of power after a civilian government has served a full term in office in the country's history.