IHC stops special court ruling in Musharraf treason case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday stopped a special court from announcing its verdict in a high treason case against former President Pervez Musharraf.
The special court’s proceedings ended on Nov. 19 and it was scheduled to present the ruling on Thursday, however, the Interior Ministry earlier this week requested that the IHC postpone it, arguing that it had not been given the opportunity to have a new prosecution team pursue the case.
The high treason case was filed against Musharraf in 2013 by the then ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The general was charged with subverting the constitution and imposing a state of emergency on Nov. 3, 2007.
He was formally indicted in 2014.
Gen. Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup on Oct. 12, 1999, when he was serving as the army chief. He stepped down in 2008, amid mass protests.
In 2016, Musharraf was allowed to leave Pakistan on medical grounds. His lawyer argued that the former president’s ill health prevented him from standing trial on treason and other charges.
Musharraf failed to appear in the special court for hearing.
The former military ruler is Pakistan’s first army chief to be charged with treason. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and dismissed them politically motivated.