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Musharraf arrested

April 19, 2013

Pakistani authorities have delivered Pervez Musharraf to an Islamabad court after arresting him overnight at his nearby residence. The ex-leader fled the day before after being denied bail for charges of treason.

https://p.dw.com/p/18J4U
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf meets journalists after attending the CLSA Investors Forum in Hong Kong in this September 15, 2010 file photo. A Pakistani court ordered the arrest of Musharraf on April 18, 2013 in connection with charges relating to his showdown with the judiciary in 2007 when he was still in power, television channels and one of his aides said. REUTERS/Bobby Yip (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS)
Image: Reuters

Pakistani television footage showed Musharraf entering the Islamabad High Court under high security on Friday. A judge was to determine where the former Pakistan president would reside while awaiting the judicial outcome of a treason case, in which he had allegedly removed several judges during his term illegally, including a supreme court justice.

Police apprehended Musharraf at his Islamabad residence over night under court orders.

On Thursday, the court revoked the former leader's bail. He fled the building following the decision without police attempting to stop him.

After living in self-imposed exile for nearly five years, Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan in late March, vowing to run in the country's general elections. The court dismissed his candidacy earlier this week.

In 1999, Musharraf seized power in a military coup. During his time in office, he maintained a strong partnership with the US government in its "war on terror," while also supporting measures to combat insurgencies in his own country. In 2008, the threat of impeachment forced him to relinquish power and eventually leave Pakistan.

kms/slk (AP, AFP, Reuters)