The Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday ordered that the national identity card and passport of former President Pervez Musharraf be unblocked so that he is able to return to the country, reported Dawn.
The former Army chief was indicted in March 2014 on treason charges. A special court declared him a proclaimed absconder in May 2016, two months after he left the country for Dubai, where he has been living since then. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that Musharraf can conditionally file his nomination papers for the general elections on July 25.
During the hearing of the treason case against Musharraf, National Database and Registration Authority Chairperson Usman Mubeen told the court that Musharraf could not return to Pakistan as his identity card was blocked, reported Geo News.
The court then ordered the agency to unblock Musharraf’s identity card. “Musharraf should return and face the cases against him,” said Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nasir, who then directed that a tribunal be formed within two days for Musharraf’s trial.
Meanwhile, Musharraf on Monday submitted nomination papers to contest the general elections from a National Assembly constituency in Chitral district. Musharraf had submitted nomination papers from Chitral during the 2013 poll as well.
In April 2013, the Peshawar High Court disqualified Musharraf for life from contesting elections on the grounds that a 2009 judgement had declared the emergency imposed by him in 2007 as illegal. Musharraf is also an accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and was declared an absconder in the case by a special anti-terrorism court in August.
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