DG ISPR says the legal formalities have not been fulfilled in formation of the special bench that announced verdict against Pervez Musharraf who served the country for 40 years.
RAWALPINDI: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 17th, 2019) In a strong reaction to the Special Court’s decision of awarding death sentence to former military ruler General (retired) Pervez Musharraf in high treason case, Pakistan Armed Forced have said that “Pervez Musharraf cannot be traitor at any cost,”.
In an official statement, Inter-Services Public Relations said that the Special Court’s decision was announced in haste and the court’s proceedings based upon an individual. The ISPR said that Musharraf served the country for 40 years and also remained Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
“The legal formalities were not met in formation of the Special court for hearing of Pervez Musharraf's case,” said ISPR DG. He said General (retired) Musharraf also fought wars for Pakistan, so how he could be declared a “traitor”.
“There is anger and agony among the armed forces over the verdict against the former head of the armed forces,” said General Asif Ghafoor while commenting on the Special Court’s verdict about former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
He rejected decision, saying that “Musharraf can’t be traitor in any case,”. “Musharraf was not given right to defense in the whole case,” he further said, adding that “the matter was disposed of just in haste,”.
First time in the country’s history, a three-member bench headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth awarded death sentence to former military ruler General (retired) Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case against him here on Tuesday.
The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Waqas Ahmad Seth and comprising SHC Justice Nazar Akbar and LHC Justice Shahid Karim announced the remarkable judgment with split of 2 to 1. The special court declared former army ruler Pervez Musharraf as traitor for abrogating the Constitution of Pakistan on Nov 3, 2007.
It is first time in the country’s history that any military dictator has been announced death sentence. The special bench constituted for hearing of high treason case against Pervez Musharraf had been hearing the high treason case against him for almost seven years.
Pervez Musharraf who is currently in the United Arab Emirates was allowed to travel abroad for his treatment on March 18, 2018.
“I am going abroad for treatment but will return to face the cases against me,” a party spokesman in Karachi quoted him as saying. “I am a commando. I love my motherland.”
“Six to eight weeks are required for the treatment and then he would go back home,” said Dr Amjad Malik, a spokesman for Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League party in Dubai.
Musharraf was banned from leaving Pakistan in March 2013 after he returned to the country on an ill-fated mission to contest elections. The former ruler was barred from taking part in the polls and instead faces a barrage of legal cases.
Former Military dictator Pervez Musharraf abrogated the Constitution of Pakistan on Nov 3, 2007, removed judges of the superior courts and put them behind the bars. Pervez Musharraf imposed martial law in 1999 and imposed emergency 2007.
The special court announced its brief decision under Article 6 of the Constitution while the detailed judgment would be announced later within 48 hours.
The high treason case against former military ruler Musharraf has been pending since Dec 13, 2013.
He was booked in high treason case in Dec 2013, indicted on March 31, 2014 and the prosecution produced the complete evidence against him before the special court in Sept the same year.
The legal fraternity, as a whole, has appreciated the decision of the Special Court for announcing death sentence to a former military ruler for abrogating the Constitution of Pakistan. Aitzaz Ahsan, the top lawyer of the country, called it an historic decision and endorsed it saying that Musharraf broke the Constitution consecutively for two times.
