Musharraf Goes Before Pakistani Anti-Terror Court
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who spent Friday night in comfortable police quarters, appeared in an anti-terrorism court Saturday to formally face charges centering on his 2007 suspension of the constitution and mass firing of senior judges.
The retired general, who ruled the Pakistan for nine years, has unsuccessfully scrambled for bail in a showdown with an increasingly assertive judiciary determined to make him account for his autocratic actions before relinquishing power under pressure in 2008.
If successfully prosecuted, he would be the first former army chief to go to prison in Pakistan’s 65-year history, which includes long stretches of military rule and coups such as the one Musharraf launched to gain power in 1999. That prospect has raised fears of a backlash by a powerful military leadership that considers Musharraf one of its own, even if he is no longer well liked among the brass.