Pakistan Govt Pushes For Musharraf High-treason Trial

Islamabad, Nov 20, IRNA - Pakistani government has moved forward to initiate high treason trial of former military president Pervez Musharraf for abrogating the constitution, officials said. This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former military president will face high treason trial. The government sent a letter to the Law Ministry to submit it to the country’s top court to appoint a special court to put Musharraf on trial. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had announced on Sunday that the government has formally started trial of the former military ruler for treason in the case of imposing emergency rule in 2007. Musharraf had taken over in a bloodless coup in 1999 and had suspended the constitution when he declared emergency in 2007. Legal experts say high treason charges carry death penalty or life imprisonment under Pakistani laws. The main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party supported the government however some other opposition parties criticized the timing of the government’s decision. They said the government has started the high treason case to divert attention of other serious problems. The Interior Minister says that investigators have collected solid evidences against Musharraf and a report will also be submitted in the Supreme Court. The federal government appointed Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi as a special prosecutor in the treason case, officials said. The Interior Ministry in its letter stated that Musharraf had violated the constitution by imposing emergency rule in the country in November 2007 and that the government has decided to initiate high treason case against him. This letter, requesting the setting-up of a tribunal of three high court judges to start proceedings against Musharraf for treason, will be sent to the Supreme Court by the Law Ministry. “A trial needs to take place as soon as possible with a ‘special court’ hearing the case,” the letter said. The case can only proceed further after the judges are decided by the Supreme Court, which had observed in May that the treason case against former military ruler would be heard by a special court. In June Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced that his government will begin high treason trial of Pervez Musharraf in his speech to the National Assembly or lower house of parliament less than three weeks after his PML-N party's won majority in the general elections./end