Former Pakistani president Musharraf released

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf was freed late Wednesday two days after a court granted him bail in the murder case of the deputy chief of Islamabad's Red Mosque, who was killed in a military raid in 2007, his lawyer said.

Musharraf had already got bails in three cases including the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Additional Session Judge in Islamabad, Wajid Ali, earlier issued written orders for Musharraf's release after his defence lawyers deposited two surety bonds, each of one hundred thousand rupees.

Musharraf, 70, was formally arrested in the murder case of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the senior cleric of the Red Mosque, on Oct 10, weeks after Ghazi's son Haroon Rasheed registered the murder charge against him with police in Islamabad.

Police was removed from the Islamabad farmhouse of Musharraf, where he had been detained since April, as the written release order was delivered to the jail officials deployed there. The farmhouse was declared as a sub-jail over security concerns.

Musharraf's lawyer, Ahmed Reza Kasuri, confirmed to the media that the former President has been set free.

Talking to reporters outside Musharraf's home, Kasuri denied any deal for the release of Musharraf and said he has been freed through legal process. He said Pervez Musharraf is likely to speak at a news conference on Thursday to chalk out his future strategy.

Dozens of Musharraf's supporters also arrived at the farmhouse at Chak Shehzad at the edge of Islamabad and chanted slogans in his favor. They also distributed sweet to celebrate Musharraf's release.

The former military ruler returned to the country in March to run in the May parliamentary polls, however the courts disqualified him for standing in the elections over his sacking of elected government in 1999 and imposing emergency in 2007.

It is widely believed in Pakistan that bail to Musharraf in the mosque case has paved the way for his possible going abroad.

Some opposition leaders say that the government and the former president have entered into a secret deal that will allow Musharraf to leave the country. But the government has not confirmed any deal.

A Musharraf lawyer insisted that the former military leader will not leave the country.

The former president, who leads All Pakistan Muslim League, is under detention at his farmhouse in Islamabad and his lawyers are now confident that he will soon be a free man.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that former military ruler could not leave the country as his name is included in the list of those who are barred from going abroad.

The former military ruler also faces high treason case and an investigation team has already questioned him as to why he had suspended the constitution when he had imposed emergency in 2007.

The high treason case was initiated after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced in June that his government had formally approached the Supreme Court for Musharraf's trial.