Former Pakistani President Perez Musharraf Arrested

April 19, 2013

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Former Pakistani President Perez Musharraf may be regretting his decision to return home:

ISLAMABAD — Police say they have arrested former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power.

Police officer Mohammed Khalid said Friday that authorities arrested Musharraf overnight from his home on the outskirts of Islamabad. He fled there from court Thursday after an Islamabad High Court judge rejected his bail and ordered his arrest.

Khalid said Musharraf was presented before a judge at Islamabad District Court on Friday who will decide whether he will be taken to jail or held under house arrest.

This isn’t entirely unexpected as the current government of Pakistan had said they would seek to arrest Musharraf if he returned. Still, it’s setting up to be an interesting confrontation between Pakistan’s former strongman and its current one.

One response to “Former Pakistani President Perez Musharraf Arrested”

DC Loser

April 19, 2013 at 8:53 am

This is going to pit the Army against the civilian leadership. The Army has an interest in maintaining its institutional perogatives as a major player, and Musharraf is a symbol of its power. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are attempts by the military leadership to intervene on behalf of Musharraf, and that it was part of Musharraf’s political calculation in returning to Pakistan.