The interior secretary told a special court on Wednesday that Interpol rejected the request for the arrest of former president Pervez Musharraf.
On August 20, the special court in Islamabad had summoned the interior secretary over non-arrest of Musharraf in a high treason case despite issuance of non-bailable warrants against him.
The interior secretary appeared before a two-judge bench headed by Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Justice Yawar Ali and comprising Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Justice Nazar Akbar which heard the high treason case against Musharraf.
“The government had approached Interpol to bring back Musharraf, however, they rejected the request,” the interior secretary said.
“Interpol officials had said that the high treason case does fall under their legal ambit,” he added.
To this, the court asked the interior secretary to submit Interpol’s reply. The interior secretary in response said he will submit it today.
Further, Justice Yawar questioned if Musharraf’s statement under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (342CrPc) in the case can be recorded via Skype.
“Can the investigation move forward without the statement under 342CrPc in the case?” he asked.
Adjourning the case till September 10, the court ordered that during the next hearing arguments be given over whether Musharraf’s statement can be recorded via Skype or the investigations can move forward without it.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president’s imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.
Last month, head of the prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, tendered his resignation. In his resignation letter sent to the interior secretary, Sheikh expressed his inability to proceed with the case after the change of government at the centre.
Sheikh was appointed as the head of the prosecution in the case in November 2013, by the then-PML-N led government.
The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.
On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List on the orders of the Supreme Court.
A few months later, however, the special court declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show.