Musharraf challenges special court’s verdict in LHC
LAHORE (92 News) – Former president Pervez Musharraf on Friday challenged verdict of the special court against him in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Advocate Azhar Siddique filed the plea in the LHC on behalf of the former president. The petitioner adopted a stance that no formation of special commission for recording a statement of Musharraf is violation of Article 10 in the Constitution.
In his plea, Musharraf stated that the, para 66 of the verdict in high treason case is against the Shariah and country’s law. Fair trial is a right of every citizen of Pakistan, the plea states and adds that, “I [Musharraf] was not heard before announcement of the verdict.”
The special court was not authorised to announce the verdict in high treason case until decision on its formation. The LHC is pleaded to pass orders to strike down the verdict in high treason case.
Earlier on December 17, the special court handed down death penalty to former president 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 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.
