Khattak unaware of special court’s verdict against Musharraf treason case

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Defence Minister Pervez Khattak was unware of a special court’s decision that sentenced former president Pervez Musharraf to death in high treason case. Talking to the journalists, the defence minister wrongly stated that it was the Supreme Court (SC) rather than a special court that handed Musharraf the death penalty under Article 6 of the Constitution. To question when asked to comment on the court’s decision, Khattak said, “I am hearing it from you, I have been busy since morning. The decision of the SC has to be implemented.” The reporters had to inform him that it was a special court that announced the verdict in the high treason case against the former president. The minister predicted that the special court’s verdict would be challenged in the SC and the decision of the top court will be implemented. Earlier in the day, the special court handed down death penalty to Pervez Musharraf in the high treason case. A three-member bench of the special court headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and comprising of Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court (SHC) and Justice Shahid Karim of the LHC announced the short verdict. However, one of the judge dissented from the sentence. According to the verdict, Pervez Musharraf had violated the constitution on November 3, 2007. It has been stated in the verdict that the violation of the constitution is proved against Pervez Musharraf and he is awarded death penalty under Article 6. The detailed judgment will be announced within 48 hours. The high treason case against the former president for clamping the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007, has been pending since December 2013. He was booked in the treason case in December 2013. Musharraf was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year. However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former military dictator lingered on and he left Pakistan in March 2016. The special court had announced that it would deliver its verdict in the case today. However, the government’s prosecutor, Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa, said that they had submitted three petitions today.