Pakistan Ex-Chief Wants Out --- ISLAMABAD—Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who faces criminal charges related to his years in power, on Thursday asked a court to be allowed to leave the country for treatment in the U.S. of a heart condition. -- The government brought treason charges against Mr. Musharraf in December but the former army chief isn't expected to be convicted in a country dominated by its military. An exit from the country on medical grounds could be a face-saving way out of an politically incendiary case for the courts, the government and the military. -- Mr. Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999 and ruled until 2008, when democracy was restored and he went into exile. He had become an ally in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban after 2001. He returned to Pakistan in March 2013, hoping to contest elections but instead the courts barred him from standing in the polls and placed him under house arrest, over a series of cases dating back to his period in power. -- He was Pakistan's fourth military ruler in its 66-year history. None of them have been punished by the courts for seizing power. -- In court Thursday, his lawyers submitted a letter written by a doctor in Texas stating that he needs urgent medical treatment in the U.S. -- "It is my professional opinion that he be transferred at the earliest to our medical facility," said the letter written by Arjumand Hashmi of the Paris Regional Medical Center in Texas, which added that Mr. Musharraf could suffer from a "major myocardial infarction (heart attack) if left untreated." --- A senior government official told The Wall Street Journal that the government was eager to make an example of Mr. Musharraf by bringing the treason charges, but it didn't want to see him executed and would eventually allow him to leave with some kind of special dispensation. - More, WSJ, at: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304149404579324603731488162?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304149404579324603731488162.html