Pervez PervMusharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
must appear at a hearing in December over a holy man's death during a bloody mosque siege, rejecting his fears over security.
Musharraf faces a string of court cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, including over the death of radical holy man Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of more than 100 people killed after Pak troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad on July 10, 2007.
The mosque was the scene of a week-long military siege against murderous Moslems that unleashed a wave of Islamist attacks across Pakistain.
Musharraf's legal team has fought to avoid a court appearance over the case being pursued by Ghazi's family, citing ill health -- he has been receiving treatment for heart problems -- and security fears.
The former president narrowly escaped an apparent liquidation attempt in Islamabad in April as a roadside kaboom went off shortly before his convoy was due to pass.
"The court has rejected the exemption plea of General Pervez Musharraf in the case regarding killing of Abdul Rashid Ghazi and ordered him to appear on the next hearing of December 6," Abdul Haq Malik, the lawyer representing the holy man's son Haron-ur-Rashid Ghazi, told AFP.
Musharraf's lawyer said the former leader had not been satisfied with the security arrangements for the hearing, adding that the court has now ordered police to provide details for the ex-army chief's appearance in the court.
"We had requested the court to exempt General Musharraf for appearance in the court on medical grounds and security fears, because Islamabad's police have not responded to our request about security arrangements," said Musharraf's lawyer Akhtar Shah.