Pakistan special court orders suspension of Musharraf's passport

A special court hearing a high treason case against former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Friday ordered the government to take steps to suspend his passport, his identity card and also arrange for his arrest with the help of Interpol.

The court tasked the Pakistani government with seizing former military ruler's assets and ordered it extradite him from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It also expressed disappointment over the government's inaction so far, Dawn online reported.

Dr Mohammad Amjad, the secretary general of the former President's All Pakistan Muslim League, said Musharraf decided "to travel to Pakistan by the end of April and face trial".

Earlier, Musharraf's lawyer Akhtar Shah had requested the Interior Ministry for the provision of "foolproof security" on his return.

The court had earlier directed the Ministry to approach Interpol for arrest of the former President.

The three-member bench, headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and comprising Lahore High Court Chief Justice Yawar Ali and Justice Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court, had conducted the last hearing on March 8. However, the written order was issued later.

Since 2013, the special court has been hearing the treason case against Musharraf for subverting the Constitution on November 3, 2007. The next hearing of the case has been fixed for March 21.