A Pakistani court on Friday extended by six days the bail granted to former president Pervez Musharraf, who faces charges of placing judges under house arrest when ruling the country, his party officials said.
Mr. Musharraf appeared before Islamabad High Court where his lawyer requested a two-week bail extension over concerns about his client’s security.
“The court set the bail at 500,000 rupees ($ 5,090 dollars), directing him to again appear on April 18,” said Asad Mahmood, a spokesman for Mr. Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League party.
Television footage showed Mr. Musharraf arriving at the court complex in a black armoured SUV amid strict security, including the deployment of dozens of police and paramilitary personnel.
During a previous court appearance in Karachi last month, a lawyer hurled a shoe at Mr. Musharraf but did not hit him.
Mr. Musharraf is facing a total of three cases and bail for all three expires next week.
He has also been asked to defend himself in another case in the Supreme Court relating to a set of five identical petitions seeking his prosecution for treason for abrogating the constitution in 2007.
His legal aides are expected to argue on the Supreme Court petition in a hearing set for Monday.
Mr. Musharraf returned to Pakistan on March 24, after living for nearly four years in self-imposed exile, to contest the May 11 polls.
He has already been cleared to contest the election for a National Assembly seat in Chitral, a northern town.
Mr. Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, faces several allegations including failure to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack after an election rally in December 2007.
He is also wanted in connection with the killing of a Baloch tribal chieftain during a 2006 military operation.
Mr. Musharraf rejects the cases as “baseless and politically motivated,” and vowed to defend himself in the courts.
