History was made in Pakistan on Monday when Pakistan’s former military ruler and president General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf was indicted by Special Court in a high treason case.
Islamabad, March 31/Nationalturk – Pakistan’s former military ruler and president General (Retd) Parvez Musharraf was on Monday indicted by Special Court in a high treason case. However, the former military ruler has pleaded not guilty to the treason charges.
Musharraf is accused of high treason under Article 6 for suspending and abrogating country Constitution, imposing emergency in November 2007 and detaining judges.
The former military ruler, who is presently hospitalised in Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi, appeared before the Special Court today amid tight security.
Security measures at the Court were beefed up in anticipation of Musharraf’s appearance in court today. Police had covered their bases; a four-member committee was formed to escort the former president from the AFIC to court. Security passes were issued to a select few only and a police team was formed to arrest the retired general and bring him to court in the event that he refuses to appear voluntarily.
3-member bench heard treason case
A three-member bench, headed by Justice Faisal Arab, heard the treason case today. There have been 35 hearings for the case so far of which Musharraf has only attended one. Justice Tahira Safdar read out the charges against Musharraf in court with the former president pleading not guilty.
The charges were the same ones put forward by the government last year – for subverting and circumventing the Constitution of Pakistan by imposing emergency on November 3, 2007 – when they had moved to form the special bench.
During the proceedings today, Musharraf told the court that he does not expect justice from present rulers.
Musharraf rejects all charges
Rejecting all charges levelled against him, he said, “Whatever I did, I did for the country and its people. I am sad that I am being called a traitor”.
Maintaining that he made Pakistan a respectable country during his tenure, he said, “I honour this court and prosecution, I strongly believe in law I don’t have ego problems, and I have appeared in court 16 times in this year in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi”
“I am being called a traitor, I have been chief of army staff for nine years and I have served this army for 45 years. I have fought two wars and it is treason? I gave 44 years of my life to Pakistan Army and made defense invincible. I gave repute and progress to this country, does it mean treason?,” Musharraf said.
Court to decide whether to allow Musharraf travel abroad
The special court will decide later today whether Parvez Musharraf can travel abroad to visit his ailing mother in UAE.
Musharraf’s newly-appointed lawyer Dr Farogh Nasim requested the Special Court today to allow him to travel abroad to visit his ailing mother.
The court said a judgement on his plea to travel abroad and ordering the government to remove his name from the Exit Control List would be announced later today.
“Former president’s mother was seriously ill and Musharraf needed to be there with her,” his lawyer said.
On March 29, media reported that Musharraf’s mother was seriously ill and shifted from Dubai to Sharjah’s W Wilson hospital for specialised treatment. She was shifted to the hospital after her condition suddenly worsened.
Earlier, Musharraf’’s requested to visit his ailing mother in UAE was turned down by the court.
Musharraf’s trial began last November, but faced repeated delays. His lawyers have challenged the court’s jurisdiction, saying it was inherently biased because the judiciary had helped lead popular protests that led to his resignation in 2008.
They say that Musharraf cannot receive a fair trial under the government of Nawaz Sharif, who won elections last year. Musharraf deposed Nawaz in a bloodless military coup in 1999.
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Asia News/ NationalTurk Pakistan News
