Pak court rejects petition against Musharraf

A Pakistani court on Friday rejected a petition asking that authorities should be directed to register murder cases against former president Pervez Musharraf and other officials for their role in last year's operation against militants holed up in the Lal Masjid.

The Islamabad High Court rejected the petition filed by Defence of Human Rights Society chairman Khawja Khalid, who had asked the court to direct police to register a First Information Report against Musharraf, former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and senior police and officials of the federal capital.

Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam of the Islamabad High Court said it would be impossible to accept such petitions till the Supreme Court decided on cases related to the Lal Masjid operation.

Khalid claimed that Musharraf and Sherpao could flee Pakistan and their names should be placed on the Exit Control List along with those of the other respondents. Khalid alleged these people were responsible for the 'murder of hundreds of innocent people inside Lal Masjid'.

Persons whose names are included in the ECL are barred from travelling abroad.

Earlier, Khalid attempted to register a FIR against these people at a police station in Islamabad, but officials refused to do so. Later, he took the matter to the District and Sessions Judge of Islamabad, who too refused to hear the case.

Over 100 people were killed when army troops stormed the Lal Masjid last year following a prolonged stand-off with militants and extremists holed up inside the mosque in the heart of Islamabad.