AMN / ISLAMBAD / WEB DESK
In a first in Pakistan’s history, a three-member bench of the special court, headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, today handed former military ruler Pervez Musharraf death sentence in the long-drawn high treason case. The former military chief is currently in Dubai.
Article 6 of the Pakistan Constitution says: “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or hold in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance the Constitution by use of force or show force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”
The trial in the case of the former military dictator for clamping the state of emergency in November 2007, had been pending since December 2013. Musharraf was indicted in March 2014 and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September, 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.
APML to file appeal
The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) — the political party founded by former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf — has announced that an appeal will be filed against a special court’s decision to hand former military ruler a death sentence in the high treason case against him.
APML’s General Secretary Mehrene Malik Adam, in a press statement, said that the party was “appalled” at the verdict, adding that the case against the former president was “formed on flimsy grounds”.
“We would like to remind that this case was formed on flimsy grounds, where aiders and abettors were excluded from the case and its hearing and the former president was singled out in the high treason case, though the decision was taken after consultation with the cabinet members, chief ministers, governors, and corps commanders,” the statement read.
The press release further said that Musharraf, “as a law-abiding citizen”, had appeared before courts when he was in the country and lamented that the court had announced a verdict despite his request not to announce the decision in his absence.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the government will “review in detail” the ruling issued earlier today.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad she said: “We will review in detail, today’s verdict as well as yesterday’s,” adding that legal experts will analyse all legal and political aspects as well as the impact on national interests, after which a government statement will be presented to the media.
In response to a question about whether the government will bring Musharraf back to Pakistan, Awan said the government will assess the matter with its legal team. She added that she had just found out about the verdict.
Awan added that Prime Minister Imran Khan is returning from a trip tomorrow, after which he will himself look at the “relevant ground realities and legal framework”. Following this, a final decision will be taken.
Meanwhile, PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said that for the first time the superiority of the Constitution was taking root in Pakistan.
“With this hopefully in the future, the tradition of breaking the Constitution will end,” he said, adding that if this verdict had been given 50 years ago, martial law would never have been imposed in the country and East Pakistan would never have been seperated.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted: “Democracy is the best revenge. Jiye Bhutto.”