Musharraf charged with murder in Lal Masjid case

Pakistan police on Monday registered murder charges against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with the death of an imam during the siege of a mosque in 2007.
It is the latest in a series of charges dating back to Musharraf's 1999-2008 rule, which the retired general has faced since returning from self-imposed exile in March.
Abdul Rashid Ghazi was one of more than 100 people killed after Pakistani troops stormed the Lal Masjid in Islamabad on July 10, 2007. Ghazi's brother, Abdul Aziz, escaped in a burqa.
The operation opened the floodgates to a Taleban-led insurgency that has killed thousands of people in Pakistan. “The High Court ordered Islamabad police to register murder charges against Musharraf on a petition filed by the son of Rashid Ghazi,” said Tariq Asad, a lawyer who represented Ghazi in court.
“The court ordered police to register the case earlier as well but their instructions were not followed. Today, the court made Islamabad police officials write the case inside the court room and comply with the orders right there,” he said.
It was the first time a head of Pakistan’s army has been charged with a crime, challenging beliefs that the military is immune from prosecution.
“It is a green signal to militants that they can do whatever they want, and that they can escape any state action,” said a spokeswoman for Musharraf, Aasia Ishaq.