ISLAMABAD: The Special Court hearing treason case against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf rejected on Friday a petition against the appointment of Advocate Mohammad Akram Sheikh as head of the prosecution team.

Through his legal team, led by Sharifuddin Pirzada, Mr Musharraf had challenged the appointment soon after the proceedings of the case commenced in December.

Arguing before the three-judge court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court (SHC), his counsel challenged the impartiality of Advocate Sheikh.

They claimed that the chief of the prosecution team appeared to be interested only in securing conviction of the accused. They also claimed that Advocate Sheikh’s prosecution team comprised mainly lawyers of his own chamber and of his own choice and the government had released a handsome remuneration for them.

Senior prosecutor Dr Tariq Hassan told the court that the defence counsel had earlier filed an identical petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which had been dismissed and this fact had been concealed from the Special Court.

He said the government had adopted the proper procedure for appointing the head of the prosecution team and approval in this regard had been secured from the authorities concerned.

The court held that since it was working under a limited scope to the extent of holding the high treason trial, it had no power of judicial review of administrative actions like appointment of prosecutors.