Pak sends reminder to Interpol to arrest Musharraf

Islamabad: Pakistan has sent a reminder to Interpol to immediately arrest former President Pervez Musharraf, a “proclaimed offender” in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. The Federal Investigation Agency has written another letter to Interpol to remind it to immediately arrest Musharraf and hand him over to Pakistan so that he can be produced before a court conducting the trial of those accused in the assassination of former Pakistan Premier, Senior Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said. [caption id=“attachment_356746” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] A formal request was made to Interpol in March to arrest Musharraf, 68, who has been living in self-exile in London and Dubai since early 2009. The FIA also informed Interpol that an arrest warrant for Musharraf issued by the anti-terrorist court in Rawalpindi will remain valid till it is served. “The Interpol, through a letter, had asked FIA about the expiry date of the arrest warrant. In response, we have informed them it will remain valid till the arrest of Musharraf,” Ali said. Interpol had been informed that the warrant would remain effective till Musharraf is handed over to Pakistan or the court cancelled it, he said. Interpol had also been informed that the warrant was issued by the court after the FIA submitted a ‘challan’ or chargesheet regarding the suicide attack that killed Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi in December 2007. Musharraf was named a “proclaimed offender” or fugitive after he ignored repeated directives from the court to cooperate with investigators probing the Bhutto assassination case. He has also been accused of failing to provide adequate security to Bhutto after she returned to Pakistan from self-exile in October 2007. Ali said the FIA had sent the arrest warrant for Musharraf to Interpol along with evidence, including revelations by a foreign journalist and a copy of an email sent to Bhutto by Musharraf. PTI