Special court partially okays trial of Musharraf's abettors

Published November 21, 2014
Police officers stand guard at the gate of the special court formed to try Pervez Musharraf for treason. — Reuters/File
Police officers stand guard at the gate of the special court formed to try Pervez Musharraf for treason. — Reuters/File

ISLAMABAD: The special court trying former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for treason has directed the federal government to resubmit its complaint in the treason case after including the names of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, federal minister Zahid Hamid who was law minister at the time and former chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar to the charge-sheet.

The order comes as the court disposed of a request filed by the retired general calling for the trial of abettors during the November 3 actions.

The move is likely to implicate a number of high profile civilians and armed personnel in the treason trial.

One of the judges, Justice Yawar Ali of Lahore High Court, attached a dissenting note while disposing off the petition.

Also read: Trying the king and his men

The court has directed the federal government to resubmit its complaint after including the names of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former law minister Zahid Hamid, former chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and other office holders at the time.

The court’s decision can be challenged by the federal government if it chooses to.

The decision is based on the original complaint filed by the federal government which had said that the role of other facilitators could be examined.

Musharraf had also demanded that the civilian leadership and the military authorities that allegedly abetted in the imposition of the November 3, 2007 emergency should also be tried along with him.

According to the proclamation issued for the November 3 emergency, Musharraf imposed the emergency after consulting the then prime minister, the governors of all four provinces and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee, the chiefs of the armed forces, the vice-chief of army staff and the corps commanders of the Pakistan Army.

Opinion

Editorial

Expansionary budget
Updated 10 Jun, 2023

Expansionary budget

Fiscal plan that the budget has laid out will lead to the accumulation of more debt, even if the targets are met.
Politics by proxy
10 Jun, 2023

Politics by proxy

LIKE some grotesque phoenix, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party has risen from the still-smouldering ashes of the PTI....
Badakhshan bombing
10 Jun, 2023

Badakhshan bombing

THE gruesome tactic of attacking funerals is part and parcel of the militant playbook. Several funerals have been...
Stuck in the past
Updated 09 Jun, 2023

Stuck in the past

Dar's enduring fixation with the exchange rate suggests that he has learned nothing from past mistakes.
Unequivocal message
09 Jun, 2023

Unequivocal message

AN unmistakably forceful message has been sent out that puts to rest any notion of a house divided. The military top...
Early closure
09 Jun, 2023

Early closure

ON the face of it, closing shops early is a sound idea. Not only would the move help save energy during the stifling...