Summary Rs 20 crore has been spent on Musharraf's security till now.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Special court has ordered to arrest and present the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on March 31 as he failed to appear before the court for his indictment in the high treason trial today (Friday), Dunya News reported.
The non-bailable arrest warrants would be implemented if Musharraf does not turn up before the court on March 31.
A three-member bench headed by Mr Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court heard the case.
Earlier today, Musharraf s counsel Anwar Mansoor submitted an application in the court requesting for the his exemption from today s hearing.
He said the background checks need to be conducted on the security personnel deployed for Musharraf s security and this would take at least 10-12 weeks.
Justice Arab said that the lawyer should inform the court in 30 minutes if Mr Musharraf will appear or not. The judge noted that in case he does not appear, charges will be read out to the lawyer.
Ahmad Raza Kasuri, another lawyer of Mr Musharraf, said that an accused cannot be indicted in absentia.
Prosecutor Akram Sheikh argued that Mr. Musharraf should be taken into custody so that the government could be responsible for his security. He said that Rs. 20 crore has been spent on Musharraf’s security till now.
Musharraf had on Tuesday failed to turn up for his indictment in the court citing security reasons.
