Special court issues 169-page detailed verdict in Musharraf high treason case

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The special court on Thursday issued a 169-page detailed judgment in the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf. A copy of the detailed judgment was handed over to the counsel of former president Pervez Musharraf. According to the detailed judgment, Musharraf had imposed emergency and violated the constitution on November 3, 2007. All allegations against him are proved without any doubt. Musharraf was given the right to fair trial. The accused is granted sentence for each offence. The court also ordered to bring the people involved in abetting his fled should also be brought in the ambit of the law and action should also be taken against him. The court also directed the law enforcement agencies to apprehend the convict and inflict the punishment on him as per law. “If found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for three days,” it ruled. On the other hand, Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court agreed to the decision to hang Pervez Musharraf to death, but he dissented from the decision of hanging him publicly. On December 16, the special court had handed 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, Justice Nazar Akbar had 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. 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. On December 14, the formation of a special court in the high treason case was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). Former president Pervez Musharraf’s counsel Khawaja Tariq Raheem, in a petition, had contended that the formation of the special court is an unconstitutional step. He stated that the federal cabinet’s approval was not obtained to try the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf. “The former prime minister had formed the special court on his discretion,” he said. He prayed to court to declare the proceedings of the special court unconstitutional. On December 12, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order stopping the special court to announce the verdict on the high treason case was challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the petition, it has been stated that the High Court has no power to interfere in the matters of the special court. The order, the petition says, stopping the special court from announcing the verdict and forming a new prosecution team is illegal.  On December 5, the special court had given 12 days to the new prosecution team to prepare the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf. Justice Seth Waqar remarked that the court will announce the verdict after hearing the arguments on December 17. Justice Nazar Akbar remarked that they are following the Supreme Court and not angry with anyone. On December 4, the federal government had appointed advocate Ali Zia Bajwa as a new prosecutor in the high treason case against former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. According to a notification, Ali Zia Bajwa will represent the prosecution side as an assistant attorney general prosecution before a special court. Earlier, a larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped the special court from announcing the verdict in the high treason case against Musharraf. The court ordered the special court to appoint the prosecutor and announce the verdict after listening to all parties.