Treason case: Musharraf fails to appear in court after bomb scare

ISLAMABAD: The prosecutor has asked the special court to issue non-bailable arrest warrants for General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the treason case as the former military ruler did not appear before the special court.

As a three-member bench of the special court led by Justice Faisal Arab was preparing for Tuesday's preliminary hearing in the case, police said they found five kilograms (11 pounds) of explosive material along with a detonator and two pistols close to the route Musharraf was due to take from his house to the court.

The counsel of Musharraf, Anwar Mansoor Khan, informed the court that his client could not appear before the court because Musharraf is facing life threats.

Justice Faisal Arab told the counsel that if it is a matter of security for his client then he should file a separate petition.

Anwar Mansoor Khan said that he filed writs, challenging the authority of the special court and objecting to the appointment of the prosecutor. He told the court that he couldn’t get the copy of the complaints.

The registrar, on behalf of the court, immediately handed over the copy of complaints to the lawyers of Musharraf.

The prosecutor said the presence of the accused is compulsory in the court as it is the criminal case. The court adjourned the hearing till January 1.