The Islamabad High Court has resumed the hearings for the case of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf, who was placed under criminal prosecution in 2013 on high treason charges and who petitioned several days ago to suspend a special tribunal from issuing its verdict, Pakistani media reported on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2019) The Islamabad High Court has resumed the hearings for the case of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf, who was placed under criminal prosecution in 2013 on high treason charges and who petitioned several days ago to suspend a special tribunal from issuing its verdict, Pakistani media reported on Wednesday.
The verdict is due to be pronounced on Thursday. Last Saturday, Dubai-based Musharraf petitioned to the Lahore High Court asking for the suspension of the trial against him in absentia. In a separate appeal on Monday, the Pakistani government asked the Islamabad High Court for the same. The court accepted the petition and began hearings on Tuesday. However, they were then put on hold due to the Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry's lack of supporting case materials.
A court of three judges will continue the hearings on Wednesday following a presentation of the complete case-related materials by the ministries' representatives, the Pakistani Geo TV broadcaster said.
If found guilty, ailing 76-year-old Musharraf could be sentenced to life imprisonment or capital punishment.
The criminal case against Musharraf, who headed the country from 2001 to 2008, was launched in 2013 over his suspension of the constitution and imposition of an extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007. Musharraf was indicted in 2014, but the trial was suspended due to multiple rounds of litigation at courts of other levels.
In 2016, the Interior Ministry allowed Musharraf to leave the country for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates, a trip from which he never returned. In 2019, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the tribunal to proceed with the prosecution in the offender's absence.
