Musharraf faces arrest on return to Pakistan

Islamabad police officials said Tuesday that they had registered a criminal case against former President Pervez Musharraf for detaining Supreme Court judges after he imposed emergency rule in 2007, raising the prospect of his arrest if he returns to the country. Mr. Musharraf resigned last year after facing the threat of impeachment and is currently living in London. Political analysts said Mr. Musharraf might be bracing for a long exile. A Supreme Court decision last month declared the emergency rule he imposed in late 2007 illegal and unconstitutional. During that time, Mr. Musharraf removed the Supreme Court chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and dozens of other judges, fearing they would not validate his candidacy for presidential elections while still serving as army chief. After the judgment, a court in Islamabad ordered the police to begin a criminal case against Mr. Musharraf for detaining 60 judges and their families at their residences in Islamabad, the capital. On Tuesday, police officials confirmed that the case had been registered.