Pakistani government appeals against lifting of travel ban on Pervez Musharraf

Pakistan's government yesterday appealed to the country's Supreme Court to overturn a decision allowing Pervez Musharraf to leave the country, his lawyer said, prolonging the ex-military ruler's legal woes.

The move came after a court in Karachi ordered the lifting of a travel ban imposed on the 70-year-old last year following his return to Pakistan in a failed attempt to stand for election.

Musharraf has said he wants the travel ban removed so he can visit his sick mother in Dubai, but many in Pakistan see it as a ruse to flee the country and avoid a litany of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

"The federal government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court," said Ahmad Raza Kasuri, a member of Musharraf's legal team.

Musharraf has been battling several court cases since his return - including treason charges for imposing emergency rule in 2007 - stoking tensions between civilian authorities and the powerful military.

Akram Sheikh, a senior lawyer who is the chief prosecutor in the treason case, confirmed an appeal had come from the attorney general's office. "I hope it will be fixed for [hearing on] Monday," he said.

Thursday's decision to overturn the travel ban had briefly raised hopes by Musharraf's supporters of a face-saving deal between civilian authorities and the powerful army that would ease tensions at a time when the country is fighting a resurgent Taliban.