Two days before former Pakistan President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has to make an appearance in the special court trying him for high treason, police recovered some packets of explosive material near his farmhouse on Monday.
On December 24, 2013, when the trial court had summoned Mr. Musharraf, five kg of explosives and some arms and wires were found near his farm house at Chak Shahzad and he sought an exemption on security grounds which was granted.
Police found the packets of explosive materials attached to an electricity pole and called the Bomb Disposal Squad. His lawyers last week said the former president faced serious security threats and the court had directed the registrar to ensure adequate protection for Mr. Musharraf.
Meanwhile Mr. Musharraf has been making his views on the high treason trial public and in an interview with Express TV he said he did not anticipate the government proceeding against him on charges of high treason. He admitted it could be a misjudgment on his part. He said he did get some information about a settlement with the government but he didn’t want to talk about it. He said he was not going to run away in fear and all he wanted was to be a free man and travel at his will and give lectures.
He also said if he was convicted he would not ask for pardon. Regarding the offer made to fly his mother back here, he said he was perfectly capable of looking after her and he didn’t want anyone’s help.
He had no personal problems attending the court on January 1 but if there are legal issues they would be discussed with his team. He said everyone was equal before the law and he was not a hypocrite. He asked the people of Pakistan to judge him by his performance in the past. He said he didn’t want any personal favours and only wanted his rights.
When asked if he was disappointed that General Kayani had not come out in his support, he said he did not want to get into names but certainly there is disappointment. In an earlier interview he had said that the trial was a vendetta. He said the country should not suffer because of this personal vendetta.
He reiterated that his promulgation of emergency was supported by all stakeholders. Meanwhile a news report said that a petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today seeking presidential immunity for Mr. Musharraf from court appearances.
