Our fears regarding Musharraf treason verdict have proven true: DG ISPR

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said on Thursday that the fears of the armed forces have "proven true" after the special court issued its detailed verdict on the high treason case against General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. 

"The concerns expressed in response to the short verdict in the case against Musharraf have proven true today after the detailed verdict," Major General Ghafoor said as he addressed the press at General Headquarters. 

READ MORE: Musharraf treason case: All evidence points to crime of high treason, court says

DG ISPR said that the words used in the verdict were "beyond humanity, religion and civilised behaviour". Responding to sections of the verdict criticising the army for political interference, he further said that Pakistan Army was "a responsible institution" and its soldiers "had taken an oath to protect the country".  

Major General Ghafoor said that for the armed forces, "the country comes first and the institution [of the army] later". 

Speaking about the gains made by Pakistan Army, ostensibly in the war against terrorism, Major General Ghafoor said a lot had been achieved over the last 20 years. 

"We will not let this stability be reversed under any circumstances," he said. "Pakistan Army will fail the attempts of external as well as internal enemies."

He added that the armed forces knew how to defend the institution's integrity and "will give an effective response to internal and external enemies of the state". 

"We have been fighting conventional wars, then sub conventional wars and now, we are facing a hybrid war," he said.

"We know the nature of this war and how to fight it," without specifying the connection of hybrid warfare with the issue at hand.

Going off on a tangent, DG ISPR said that efforts were being made to weaken Pakistan externally. He said that some elements were trying to destabilise the country by making people fight with one another. 

"Some people are dreaming that they can defeat Pakistan," he said. "This will not happen. If we know about the threat then our response is also in place."

He continued, saying that Pakistan Army had successfully defended attacks from abroad and defeated insurgencies in the country. 

"InshAllah, we will also fight the current design being pushed by anti-state elements," he said. It was not immediately clear if he was talking about the judgement in question or some unrelated matter.

He said that the prime minister and army chief had spoken in detail over the verdict. 

"The army chief met the prime minister and conveyed the sentiments of the armed forces to to him," he said. 

The DG ISPR said that the government will soon inform the nation about the decisions taken during the meeting between the army chief and the prime minister. 

He said that Pakistan Army and the government have been working for the past couple of years to take Pakistan into a direction where it is safe from prevalent dangers. 

"We are taking Pakistan in that direction and we will successfully do so," he said. 

High treason case

A special court court had sentenced Musharraf to death on Tuesday for imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, adding that it had found him guilty of high treason in accordance with Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The detailed verdict of the court was issued earlier today (Thursday). Dismissing criticism of a trial conducted 'in haste', the special court in its detailed verdict stated that Musharraf had “been afforded more than his due share of fair trial” and “given every opportunity to defend himself”.

The court further said that “the facts of the case are well documented” and “clearly demonstrate guilt on part of the accused”.

"The trial of high treason is the requirement of the Constitution against those individuals who undermine or attempt to undermine the Constitution by any means," the judgement stated.

"This Court after the presentation of undeniable, irrefutable and unimpeachable evidence by the prosecution against the accused reaches to the conclusion that indeed accused [Musharraf] is guilty and deserves exemplary punishment.