Musharraf complains of chest pain; rushed to AFIC

ISLAMABAD: Former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has been rushed to a hospital as he complained of chest pain on his way to appear before the special court hearing treason case against him.

According to the police sources, the former military ruler has been shifted to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), Rawalpindi, where he is under treatment.

Earlier, it was reported that Musharraf had left Chak Shahzad farmhouse to appear before the court. Ensuring strict security arrangements various roads were blocked while mobile services were also halted on the route.

Almost 1,600 personnel of the police and the rangers were deployed for the security of Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, prosecutor Akram Sheikh told the special court, hearing the treason case against Musharraf, that the former president has been admitted to the hospital in what he termed a bid to avoid appearance in the court.

He asked the court to take notice and issue non-bailable arrest warrants for Musharraf.

Counsel of the Pervez Musharraf‚ Khalid Ranjha told the court that his client was on his way to court when he had to be shifted to Armed Forces of Institute of Cardiology [AFIC] due to cardiac pain.

The court adjourned the hearing till Monday.

At the start of the proceedings today‚ the court said it will issue an appropriate order if Pervez Musharraf did not appear before it today.

The court directed that CCTV cameras should be installed outside the court to avoid any untoward incident.

Earlier, Musharraf’s lawyers walked out of court, complaining of being threatened and harassed.

Anwar Mansoor Khan, one of the lawyers, told the court he has been receiving threats and was unable to sleep the night before the hearing.

“I faced threats... from 1:00 am to five in the morning. Someone was banging on my door and ringing my bell,” Khan told the court.

When one of the judges asked who was threatening him, Khan answered: “This very government.”

The court promised to investigate but Khan walked out of court, followed by other members of Musharraf’s legal team.

“This never happened in my 40 years of practice. I will walk out,” Khan said.

Sharifuddin Pirzada, another of Musharraf’s lawyers, also complained that he had been threatened.

The judges announced to give ruling over continuous non-appearance of Musharraf before the court at 4 PM today. Later, the hearing was adjourned till Monday.