Death sentence upsets Musharraf; PM calls meeting
ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday summoned an emergency meeting of his party’s core committee to discuss the conviction of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in a treason case.
Khan was in Geneva on Tuesday to attend the Global Refugee Forum when a Pakistani special court announced its decision.
The verdict, announced by a three-member bench of the special tribunal, was received with “lot of pain and anguish” by Pakistan Army.
The charges against Musharraf stem from his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007, after which dozens of judges were placed under house arrest or sacked, sparking widespread protests by lawyers.
On Tuesday, Musharraf expressed his “disappointment” over the decision. The former president has been in a self-imposed exile ever since a travel ban on him was lifted in 2016 that allowed him to seek medical treatment abroad. The 76-yearold has since spent most of his time in London and Dubai.
“Musharraf wanted to record his statement and was ready to visit Pakistan, but he wanted foolproof security which was not provided,” his lawyer Akhtar Shah told the media, adding, “He is still in Dubai and sick.”
Meanwhile, the country’s attorey general Anwar Mansoor Khan said that the requirements for a fair trial under Article 10-A of Pakistan’s constitution were not fulfilled in the Musharraf high treason case and the verdict was illegal, so the government would not oppose appeal against the verdict.
Khan pointed out that the trial was held in Musharraf’s absence. The attorney general questioned why the verdict was announced when it was already known that Musharraf was not in Pakistan.
Special assistant Firdous Ashiq Awan said that there were some people who were celebrating the verdict of the special court and hoping for a clash between state institutions.