Court reserves verdict in Musharraf treason case

ISLAMABAD: A special court on Tuesday reserved the verdict in the long-running high treason trial of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

A three-member bench comprising the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court and the head of the special court, Justice Waqar Seth, were hearing the case against the former president.

During the hearing of the case today, neither the plaintiff nor the government was represented. Musharraf's lawyer was also not present at the hearing either.

The court, after taking a recess of half an hour, announced that it had reserved its decision, which will be announced on November 28.

During the last hearing of the case, the government had sacked the entire prosecution team in the treason case against the former president.

High treason case

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president's imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

Earlier this year, the head of the prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, tendered his resignation. In his resignation letter sent to the interior secretary, Sheikh expressed his inability to proceed with the case after the imminent change of government at the centre.

Sheikh was appointed as the head of the prosecution in the case in November 2013, by the then-PML-N led government.

The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.

On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List on the orders of the Supreme Court.

A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show.

Later, on orders of the Supreme Court, Musharraf's passport and identity card were also cancelled.