The former dictator who ran Pakistan with absolute authority has been reduced to running away, after the High Court in Islamabad ordered his arrest on charges of treason.

Pakistani TV showed Pervez Musharraf and his posse hastily retreating from the court and speeding away in a convoy of bulletproof vehicles, after the judge revoked his bail and ordered his arrest.  This latest humiliation is the latest mishap in Musharraf’s bungled return to Pakistani politics following self-exile.

Musharraf is charged with Treason over his 2007 confrontation with Pakistan’s judiciary, in which he he sacked the chief justice and placed the justice’s colleagues under house arrest.  Lawyers fought running battles with police in that episode.

Human Rights Watch said that Mr. Musharraf’s flight from the court on Thursday “underscores his disregard for due legal process” and called on the military to ensure that he presents himself for arrest.