Pakistan’s former President and Army Chief on Tuesday was given a death penalty by the special court in the high treason case. The case headed by a 3 judge bench was headed by Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth of the Peshawar High Court. The bench have now handed a death sentence to the 76 year old Musharraf in the long-drawn case of high treason against him.
Musharraf was indicted in 2014 for treason charges wherein he suspended the Constitution of Pakistan and imposed Emergency rule in 2007. Currently, he is in Dubai.
The now 76 year old Musharraf went to Dubai to seek medical treatment in March 2016 and has not returned to Pakistan since quoting health and security reasons. Earlier, the special court ordered the Former General of Pakistan Army (Pervez Musharraf) to record a statement and submit the same by 5th December in the treason case. However, the Islamabad High Court, after hearing the petitions filed by the Pakistan Government and Former President of Pakistan, Musharraf, asked the special court to hold their verdict and not announce it. The verdict was supposed to come on the 28th of November 2019 as the trial proceedings ended on the 19th of November.
Musharraf recorded a video from his hospital bed saying he was ready to record the statement in presence of a judicial commission for the treason case, “A judicial commission can come here and hear me out. It must see my health condition and make a decision. The commission, with my lawyer, must then be heard in the court” Musharraf said.
Musharraf said that as his health has been deteriorating and his mother is too old to be left alone, he has been unable to come back to Pakistan. He added that he is being treated for multiple life-threatening conditions.
Pervez Musharraf was one of the longest serving President of Pakistan, having served the country from 2001 to 2008.
A high level treason case was filed against Former President Pervez Musharraf and he was booked in December 2013 under the then Nawaz Government for imposing emergency in Pakistan on the 3rd of November 2007. Musharraf was indicted on 31st March 2014 and evidences and witnesses were presented to the special court in September 2014.
The treason case trial was stretched owing to the litigations at the appellate forums and in March 2016 he left the country on grounds of medical emergency after getting permission from both the higher courts and the concerned ministry.
