Prime Minister Muhammed Nawaz Sharif on Friday offered to fly back from Dubai the ailing mother of former President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf in an air ambulance so that she can be treated here and live with her son.
Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, spokesperson for the Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Information said in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office that keeping in view humanitarian considerations, the government would provide all possible medical assistance to her in Pakistan.
He added that the independent Judiciary of Pakistan would decide upon cases against Mr. Musharraf. After securing bail in cases filed against him, Musharraf’s lawyers had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court demanding that his name be removed from the Exit Control List so that he could visit his mother in Dubai. However, last week the court advised the former President to approach the government with this request.
A week ago in an interview to a TV channel, Mr. Musharraf had mentioned his mother whom he wants to visit. He had said she would be 96 in March and she remembered him a lot since she had lived most of her life with him. He also said he wasn’t planning on going anywhere since his family friends and relatives were all here and Pakistan was his home.
While he has secured bail in the cases filed against him, the government has launched proceedings against him in a special court for high treason. He did not appear on the first day of the trial on Tuesday due to security risks and has been summoned again on January 1.
His defence counsel Mohammed Ali Saif told The Hindu that this offer was not even being considered and it was something Musharraf had not asked for. Mr. Saif said before the start of the treason trial, a government functionary who cannot be named had approached him with an offer that it would assure a safe passage if the former President wanted to leave the country. General Musharraf had refused to leave, he said. After that the government was now offering to bring his mother here.
Mr. Saif said the former president’s name was on the Exit Control List (ECL)and after the Sindh court had disposed of the case, a plan to approach the Supreme Court to remove his name from the ECL was under consideration. Musharraf should be free to go where he wants and there is no reason or even a court order to add his name to the ECL, Mr. Saif added.
