Treason case against Musharraf to be heard daily from October 8: Court

A special court in Pakistan has decided to conduct the high treason trial of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf on a daily basis from October 8 to conclude the case pending since December 2013, according to a media report.

The previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against the former army chief in 2013 over the imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007, which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of over 100 judges.

The special court comprising Justice Nazar Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim resumed proceedings in the treason trial on Tuesday, Dawn News reported.

 

Advocate Raza Bashir, the defence counsel appointed by the law ministry on the directive of the special court, filed an application seeking his meeting with 75-year-old Musharraf for getting instructions from him to argue the case.

The court, however, expressed displeasure over the filing of the application and said that the accused had already been summoned for recording his statement.

After brief arguments, the judges suspended the proceedings for a short break.

When the proceedings began again, they informed the prosecution as well as the defence counsel that since presiding judge Tahira Safdar was not in attendance, the court had decided to adjourn the hearing till October 8, it said.

The court directed Advocate Bashir to prepare arguments as the proceedings in the treason trial would resume on a daily basis from the next date.

The trial in the high-profile treason case has not seen much progress since Musharraf left for Dubai in March 2016 after his name was removed from the no-fly list.

He has not returned since, and is said to be suffering from Amyloidosis, a rare condition for which he has been admitted to a hospital.

The special court has declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show. The case has been virtually stalled as Musharraf's presence is important to record his statement.

Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008. A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.