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SHC takes Musharraf's name off ECL, allows 15 days for appeal

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KARACHI: The government was Thursday ordered to lift a travel ban on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, in a court decision that could draw a line under a raft of legal troubles.

Musharraf has been battling several court cases - including treason charges for imposing emergency rule in 2007 - since he returned to Pakistan last year to contest elections, stoking tensions between civilian authorities and the military. His exit from Pakistan could help ease those tensions at a time when the country is fighting Taliban following a brazen attack on Karachi's airport this week that left dozens dead. Presiding judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Sindh High Court in Karachi said the ban 'placing the name of retired General Pervez Musharraf on the Exit Control List is struck down'.

"The operation of the judgement is suspended for 15 days so that the respondent (the government) may file appeal before the Supreme Court."

Musharraf has said he wants the travel ban lifted so that he can visit his sick mother in Dubai, but many in Pakistan see it as a ruse to flee the country and avoid the litany of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

But his lawyer Farogh Naseem said, "Musharraf does not want to live like a convicted man. If he is allowed to leave Pakistan, he will come back whenever he is needed."

Following the court order, General (r) Musharraf submitted a request with the interior ministry to taking his name off ECL.

In his application, the former president has asked the interior ministry to allow him to proceed abroad for spinal treatment and to see his ailing mother.

The letter says that the Sindh High Court has ruled in Musharraf's favour, adding that Supreme Court's earlier decision was provisional which stands void after the conclusive decision.

The former president has also attached his mother's medical certificate along with the letter.

The 70-year-old former commando has been staying with his daughter in Karachi since April, where he travelled for tests at a navy-run hospital.

He has been undergoing medical treatment since January, when he was rushed to hospital after suffering heart problems on his way to court for a hearing.

After his indictment for treason in March, Musharraf asked to be allowed to visit his mother but was denied permission.

The former ruler came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who won re-election in 2013 when Pakistan underwent the first civilian handover of power since 1947.

Facing impeachment following the 2008 elections, Musharraf resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. He returned to Pakistan in March last year on an ill-fated mission to run in the elections but was barred from participating.

He is also on bail in three other cases linked to his time in power including the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006.

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