SC affirm Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence in treason case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the death sentence imposed on former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf by a special court in 2019 in a case of “high treason.”

A four-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Aminuddin Khan, and Athar Minallah, conducted the hearing.

In 2019, a special court, during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), sentenced Musharraf to death under Article 6 of the Constitution for his “unconstitutional” imposition of emergency in November 2007.

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On January 13, 2020, the Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the special court’s verdict “unconstitutional.” This decision was contested by the Pakistan Bar Council and several senior lawyers, including Taufeeq Asif.

In the recent hearing, the Supreme Court announced the reserved verdict on Musharraf’s appeal against the death sentence, deeming it ineffective due to non-compliance.

The court noted that Musharraf’s heirs failed to engage in the case despite multiple notices.

Salman Safdar, Musharraf’s counsel, reported attempts to contact the family but received no response. The court declared the LHC’s judgment “null and void,” asserting it was against the law.

Despite Musharraf’s passing on February 5, 2023, the top court proceeded with its decision. During the hearing, Hamid Khan, representing Asif, stated that Musharraf had filed a criminal appeal against the sentence. Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman opposed Musharraf’s appeal, leading to the court reserving the verdict.

In a previous hearing on November 29, 2023, the Supreme Court suggested holding accountable all those, including judges, who validated Musharraf’s martial law in 1999. The court emphasized acknowledging past wrongs, with Justice Minallah suggesting a fair trial for judges who validated the martial law.

After the verdict, Safdar addressed the media, asserting that Musharraf’s appeal had been heard for the fourth time, spanning four years, and criticized the fact that it was conducted in his absence. Safdar maintained that Musharraf never committed high treason.