The Interior Ministry on Monday has granted former president General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf a safe passage to return to Pakistan in response to his appeal to be provided foolproof security. In the notification released by the Interior Ministry, Musharraf was offered security on his return to Pakistan but he had to submit his travel details to the ministry so that they can make arrangements on time.

On Friday, the special court hearing a high treason case against Musharraf ordered the federal government to suspend his CNIC and passport. The Interior Ministry, on the other hand, granted him one week to surrender. In response to the court’s order, Musharraf’s counsel informed the court that the former president was ready to become a part of the proceedings if his security was guaranteed by the defense ministry.

There are a number of on-going cases against General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Pakistani courts. In his exile in Dubai, Musharraf has been completely unapologetic about his dictatorship, has embraced extremist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and mused about rogue army officers being involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Apart from the treason case, Musharraf still has many questions to answer about his role in the killings of Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto. His return to the country is needed so we can grapple with the ugliness of the recent past and have a reckoning not just for Musharraf but for those who aided and abetted his illegal rule.

Interestingly, Musharraf’s diplomatic passport was renewed by the interior ministry on 5^thJanuary. It was due to expire on 16^th March 2018 and most countries do not allow travel on passports which has a less than 6 month expiry date. The interior minister Ahsan Iqbal clarified that his passport was renewed due to fears that he might not return to the country, using his passport as an excuse. He needed his passport to come back to Pakistan so it was renewed.

Musharraf is wanted in multiple cases but the biggest one of them is the high treason case. Even though the Constitution of Pakistan allowed the President of Pakistan to impose an emergency back then, it was a contradiction of the Article 6 of the Constitution. The case will go down to technicalities since it is a matter of interpretation rather than a clear conviction. Political experts believe that Musharraf used his health as an excuse to escape from the country.

He is left with little options but to return since if the government revokes his passport and uses the help of Interpol to bring him back, it would be very humiliating for the former ruler of the country. Another argument that media and political analysts raise is that Musharraf is the former head of the state and the army. If he is convicted as a traitor, it would reflect very badly on the army, the instituted that he headed. An institute that allows a traitor to rise to the top would have serious flaws in it so the acquittal of Musharraf is the only option that the government has.