Angry lawyer throws shoe at Pakistan’s Musharraf

KARACHI - The Associated Press

Former Pakistani President Musharraf walks after a lawyer threw a shoe at him at court hallway. AFP Photo

An angry lawyer threw a shoe at former President Pervez Musharraf as he headed to court in southern Pakistan on March 29 to face legal charges following his return to the country after four years in self-imposed exile, police said.

The lawyer tossed his shoe at Musharraf as he was walking down a hallway in the court building in the city of Karachi surrounded by a mob of security, supporters and journalists. The shoe did not hit Musharraf, and the lawyer was not detained because no charges were filed against him. Local TV channels showed video of the incident, but it was impossible to identify the shoe thrower because he was hidden behind part of the corridor.

Musharraf returned from exile last week, seeking a possible political comeback despite the legal charges against him and death threats from Taliban militants. Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup in 1999 but was forced to step down nearly a decade later, is disliked by many lawyers throughout Pakistan because of his decision to suspend the chief justice of the Supreme Court while he was in office.