Musharraf Can Leave House Arrest, Not Pakistan

Prison officials withdrew last night for first time since April
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 7, 2013 9:29 AM CST
Musharraf Can Leave House Arrest, Not Pakistan
FILE - In this April 20, 2013, file photo, Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf arrives at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan.   (Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan has freed former President Pervez Musharraf from his months-long house arrest, days after he received bail in a case related to the death of a radical cleric, a prison official said today. Prison officials were withdrawn last night from Musharraf's home on the outskirts of Islamabad, where he has been held under arrest since April. Musharraf is now free to move around Pakistan; however, the former president and army chief is still barred from leaving the country pending multiple court cases against him, his lawyer has said.

A court granted Musharraf bail on Monday in a case involving his alleged role in the death of a radical cleric killed during a raid on a hardline mosque in Islamabad in 2007. That paved the way for his release after the necessary paperwork was completed. Musharraf, who has been plagued by legal troubles since he returned to Pakistan in March after years of self-imposed exile, already has been granted bail in three other cases against him, which have to do with his alleged role in the assassination of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto, the death of a Baluch separatist leader killed by the army, and the detention of Pakistani judges. (More Pervez Musharraf stories.)

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