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Islamabad, June 8: Pakistani authorities have suspended the national identity card and passport of former military leader Pervez Musharraf on the orders of a special court hearing a treason case against him, according to a press report. Musharraf, 74, was indicted in March 2014 on treason charges for imposing a state of emergency in 2007, which led to the imprisonment of a number of superior court judges in their homes and the dismissal of more than 100 judges.
On March 18, 2016, the former president traveled to Dubai for medical treatment. A few months later, the special court declared him a delinquent and ordered the confiscation of his property because of his absence in the case. The court in March ordered the federal government to suspend his Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) and passport.
The Express Tribune reported that the National Registration and Database Authority (NADRA) suspended Musharraf’s CNIC, resulting in the default suspension of his passport. He further indicated that after his passport was blocked, Musharraf would not be able to travel to any country and even his stay in Dubai would be illegal. Sources said he could now either seek political asylum or obtain special documents if he wished to return to Pakistan.
The special tribunal in its March order said the Interior Ministry and all other Pakistani government departments, divisions and agencies must take positive steps to secure his arrest. In accordance with these decrees, the Minister of the Interior asked NADRA at the end of May to suspend the CNIC of the former military leader.
However, NADRA’s media department, its spokesperson and President Usman Mobin were not available to comment on the development. A conviction for high treason is punishable by death or life imprisonment. Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008. He is wanted in Pakistan in several criminal cases, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
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