Pakistan Court rejects Pervez Musharraf’s petitionn

Islamabad: A special court on Friday dismissed petition of Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is seeking treason trial under the Army Act.
The defence had objected to the formation of the three-member special court, saying that being the former army chief, Musharraf, can only be tried by a military court.

Musharraf faces treason charges for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing an emergency and detaining judges of the superior courts. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or death penalty.

He alleged that facts and laws were ‘twisted’.

When asked if this is how a lawyer should behave, Kasuri said, “Every person reacts in a different way to a situation. We were also there but didn’t react in such a manner.”
Earlier, Rana Ijaz Ahmed, another lawyer of Musharraf, accused the judges of acting like ‘rented killers’ when the judgement was read out.

This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former military chief is facing trial for treason.

Even though Musharraf had appeared before the court during the last hearing, it could not carry forward the proceedings as his lawyers had asked the court to decide on their applications against its mandate first.

After skipping numerous hearings, Musharraf was driven to the court in a motorcade from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi, amidst tight security on February 18.

Musharraf’s 17-vehicle cavalcade included a bullet-proof car, pilot vehicles and an ambulance. Over 400 personnel were also deployed at the court premises.

Musharraf had taken ill and was rushed to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) on January 2 when he was being taken to the special court. He has since been admitted in the hospital.