Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was granted bail Monday in a criminal case involving his alleged role in the killing of a radical Islamic cleric during a 2007 siege at a mosque.
The court decision brings Musharraf a step closer to being able to move freely about Pakistan, after six months of house arrest. Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup and stepped down in 2008, must post two bonds roughly equivalent to $1,000 each. His attorneys said he had planned to do so Tuesday.
The former ruler has been under house arrest since April after being charged in a string of cases related to his dictatorship, including alleged involvement in the murder of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch separatist leader Akbar Bugti and detention of Pakistani judges. Over the summer, bail was granted on all those charges.
The court hearing on Monday involved a murder charge against Musharraf for his oversight of an eight-day siege at the Red Mosque in 2007, when the military sought to dislodge hard-line Islamic students barricaded inside.