Former Pakistani military dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf has requested the special court to postpone the hearing of a treason trial against him scheduled for Thursday (today) until the end of Ramzan due to his precarious health, reported Dawn.
The ex-dictator said life-threatening ailments have forced him not to return to Pakistan, said the report.
Musharraf is facing treason trial under Article 6 of the Constitution as well as Section 2 of the High Treason Act on a complaint moved by the federal government.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has filed the high treason case against Musharraf in 2013, alleging that Musharraf unlawfully had suspended the country’s constitution with a help of the military and had also instituted an emergency rule in 2007.
An application furnished by Barrister Salman Safdar on behalf of General Musharraf stated that despite strong willingness and eagerness to return to Pakistan, life-threatening ailments and medical complications had forced him not to appear before the special court, the Dawn report said.
In his application, supported by a medical certificate, Musharraf offered sincere apologies for not appearing before the court in view of his serious condition.
The application recalled that the former President came to Pakistan on March 24, 2013, on his own to face the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, judges’ detention case and Akbar Bugti case and that the high treason case was initiated subsequent to his arrival in the country, the paper said.
In line with the earlier directive of the Supreme Court, the trial court is scheduled to record General Musharraf’s statement under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code to complete the treason trial.
A special court who is hearing Musharraf’s case had earlier ordered him to appear to the court before May 2, counsel Suleman Safdar said. He added last month the Supreme Court had ordered Musharraf to appear in the special court before May 2, or else, he would surely lose the right to defend himself and therefore, court’s decision will be based on prosecutor’s arguments.
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