ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ailing former dictator on Wednesday said the death sentence given to him by a court in a treason case is based on a 'personal vendetta'.
It was Pervez Musharraf’s first reaction to Tuesday’s court verdict, which had already been denounced by the country’s powerful military.
Musharraf’s supporters have held small rallies across the country in his support since the court sentenced him to death after finding him guilty of imposing an emergency in violation of the constitution.
In the video released by his party, Musharraf said “there is no example of such a decision in which neither the defendant and nor his lawyer was given permission to say something in his defense.”
He said the court that held his trial in intervals from 2014 to 2019 rejected his request to record a statement in Dubai, where he has been living since 2016, when he left the country to receive medical treatment.
Musharraf’s health has witnessed ups and downs, and he was again taken to a hospital this month. He said the court verdict against him was questionable and that the supremacy of rule of law was not maintained.
“I will say that there was no need to hear this case under the constitution but this case was taken up and heard because of personnel vendetta of some people against me and one person was targeted in this case,” he said.
Without citing names, he said that those who acted against him “are enjoying high positions and they misuse their office”.
He praised the people and armed forces of Pakistan for standing by him after the court sentenced him to death for imposing the state of emergency in his tenure as president when he was also holding the position of the army chief.
Musharraf said he would take a decision about his future after consulting his lawyers and that he expected and hoped that justice will be done.
His laweyrs have already said that he will challenge death sentence.
Hours earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan consulted his advisers to decide how to handle the situation arising from the sentencing.
Pakistan and the UAE have no extradition treaty and Emirati authorities are unlikely to arrest Musharraf.
The military earlier said it received the court verdict “with a lot of pain and anguish,” saying that Musharraf, “who has served the country for over 40 years, fought wars for the defense of the country can surely never be a traitor.”
Musharraf seized power in 1999 by ousting the elected government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In 2007 he imposed an emergency and placed several key judges under house arrest in the capital, Islamabad, and elsewhere in Pakistan.
Later, when he was back in office, Sharif accused Musharraf of treason in 2013. The general was formally charged in 2014. Sharif again came into power in 2013 but a court ousted him from the office in 2017 on corruption charges. Sharif is currently receiving treatment in London after being release d on bail.
Musharraf sees 'personal vendetta' behind his conviction
https://arab.news/zbjy6
Musharraf sees 'personal vendetta' behind his conviction
- Special court in Pakistan sentenced Gen Pervez Musharraf to death in a high treason case
- Emirati authorities unlikely to arrest Musharraf as no extradition treaty exits between Pakistan and the UAE
Pakistan reports current account surplus in Jan. owing to improved trade, remittances
- Pakistan’s exports crossed the $3 billion mark in Jan. as the country received $3.5 billion in remittances
- Last month, IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate pace of structural reforms to strengthen economic growth
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of more than $120 million in January, the country’s finance adviser said on Tuesday, attributing it to improved trade balance and remittance inflows.
Pakistan’s exports rebounded in January 2026 after five months of weak performance, rising 3.73 percent year on year and surging 34.96 percent month on month, according to data released by the country’s statistics bureau.
Exports crossed the $3 billion mark for the first time in January to reach $3.061 billion, compared to $2.27 billion in Dec. 2025. The country received $3.5 billion in foreign remittances in Jan. 2026.
Khurram Schehzad, an adviser to the finance minister, said Pakistan reported a current account surplus of $121 million in Jan., compared to a current account deficit of $393 million in the same month last year.
“Improved trade balance in January 2026, strong remittance inflows, and sustained momentum in services exports (IT/Tech) continue to reinforce the country’s external account position,” he said on X.
Pakistan has undergone a difficult period of stabilization, marked by inflation, currency depreciation and financing gaps, and international rating agencies have acknowledged improvements after Islamabad began implementing reforms such as privatizing loss-making, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and ending subsidies as part of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.
Late last month, the IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate the pace of these structural reforms to strengthen economic growth.
Responding to questions from Arab News at a virtual media roundtable on emerging markets’ resilience, IMF’s director of the Middle East and Central Asia Jihad Azour said Islamabad’s implementation of the IMF requirements had been “strong” despite devastating floods that killed more than 1,000 people and devastated farmland, forcing the government to revise its 4.2 percent growth target to 3.9 percent.
“What is important going forward in order to strengthen growth and to maintain the level of macroeconomic stability is to accelerate the structural reforms,” he said at the meeting.
Azour underlined Pakistan’s plans to privatize some of the SOEs and improve financial management of important public entities, particularly power companies, as an important way for the country to boost its capacity to cater to the economy for additional exports.
“This comes in addition to the effort that the authorities have made in order to reform their tariffs, which will allow the private sector of Pakistan to become more competitive,” the IMF official said.
