[JURIST] Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] was granted bail on Monday in a criminal case relating to the death of radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi during an operation ordered by Musharraf on Islamabad’s Red Mosque, which left more than 100 dead. Musharraf was arrested [JURIST report] on these charges on October 10. Musharraf’s bail is set [WP report] to be paid in two bonds of $USD 1000 each. According to his lawyers, Musharraf will post bail on Tuesday. Musharraf’s house arrest [JURIST report] began in April after he was charged alleged involvement in the murder of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and others. Prosecutors claim Musharraf had caused the deaths by recklessly deploying security forces, while Musharraf’s lawyers argue that his involvement was limited. Even after posting bail, Musharraf will be unable to leave the country under the orders from the Pakistani government.

Musharraf has faced a slew of legal troubles. In August the Pakistani interim government declined [JURIST report] to try Musharraf for treason because they claimed such action would be outside the scope of their duties. Also that month a Pakistani court officially charged [JURIST report] Musharraf with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation of murder in the 2007 death of Bhutto. In April a Pakistan court extended [JURIST report] Musharraf’s bail on charges of illegally detaining judges. That same month, the Peshawar High Court of Pakistan both banned [JURIST report] Musharraf from running for public office for the rest of his life and extended his house arrest during the ongoing trial regarding the murder of Bhutto. In March Human Rights Watch urged [JURIST report] Pakistan to hold Musharraf accountable for alleged human rights abuses upon his return to the country. Msuharraf left Pakistan in 2008 to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London after he was defeated by Benazir Bhutto’s party.