Treason case: Probe report against Musharraf handed over to prosecutor

Musharraf's lawyer had argued before the court that theprosecution's witnesses could not be cross-examined until report was received

Pakistan government today handed over a probe report which is the basis of the treason trial against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to the prosecutor along with other special documents related to the high-profile case.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) investigation report as well as the other relevant documents were handed over to the prosecutor during the hearing of Musharraf's treason case before Justice Faisal Arab-headed three-member bench, Express News reported.

The Interior ministry gave a 237-page report to the prosecutor of which 125 pages are various documents that were collected by the government.

Statements of 24 witnesses have also been included in the report which make up 94 of the pages. Also, summaries of the testimonies make up six of the pages of the report.

The special court on May 8 had accepted a plea that Musharraf be given access to the probe report and other relevant documents about his treason trial and the FIA was ordered to hand over the relevant documents by May 14.

The bench had also made it clear that it has ample power to try any abettor.

The decision to implicate any other person would depend on what material comes on record in the shape of documents, extra-judicial statements, oral evidence and the evidence so produced might then connect any other person with the commission of the crime.

The legal team of the former president on April 24 had raised questions over the non-availability of FIA's inquiry report, accusing the prosecution of deliberately withholding the documents related to the promulgation of the November 3, 2007 emergency and Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).

Musharraf's lawyer Farogh Naseem had argued before the court that the prosecution's witnesses could not be cross-examined until the report was received.

On March 31, Musharraf was formally charged for subverting and circumventing the Constitution by imposing emergency in 2007.

Since Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March last year, he has faced prosecution in four major cases, including for his alleged involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

The former president, who is the first military ruler in Pakistan's history to be tried in court, has rejected all the charges leveled against him.