Special Court verdict against Pervez Musharraf challenged in SC

Former president Pervez Musharraf has challenged the verdict of a special court against him in the Supreme Court on Thursday (today).

Musharraf’s counsel Salman Safdar pleaded the verdict of a special court to declare as null and void.

He has filed the appeal against the decision to hand the death penalty to the former president in the apex court.

The petition said that the trial unconstitutional and Article 6 of the constitution violated in the proceedings of the trial.

The petition also said that Musharraf was denied the right to fair trial.

It added that formation of the special court was unconstitutional.

A special court had sentenced him to death for abrogating the Constitution and proclamation of emergency in the country in November 2007.

However, it declared as unconstitutional by the Lahore High Court, in its verdict in a treason case against Musharraf.

The high treason case proceedings initiated without approval from the federal cabinet, according to the appeal.

The court failed to provide an opportunity to Pervez Musharraf for recording his statement. “The special court’s December 17 verdict unsatisfactory,” the petition in the Supreme Court said.

Moreover, the appeal against the court verdict has comprised of 65 pages.

Advocate Salman Safdar had announced to challenge the court verdict after the special court announced its decision.

Earlier, Lahore High Court (LHC) conducted hearing on former president Pervez Musharraf’s plea.

The heard plea against the death sentence verdict announced by special court in high treason case.

During the proceedings, the court expressed resentment over Musharraf’s counsel.

It asked whether he carefully read the case and prepared arguments over which, the lawyer said that the case not complicated as the formation of special court was illegal.

He said that Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister at that time, lodged fake case against Pervez Musharraf due to personal grudges.

Meanwhile, Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar remarked under which section, the trial court indicted the accused in the case.

Charges on Musharraf

The ex-president facing treason trial under Article 6 of the Constitution as well as Section 2 of the High Treason Act for imposing emergency in the country on November 3, 2007 that also resulted in the suspension of 61 judges of the superior judiciary, including then Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.