ISLAMABAD: A special court hearing treason charges against former president General Pervez Musharraf declared him an absconder in the ongoing treason case on Wednesday.
The three-member bench of the special court, comprised of Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Minakhel, Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar and Justice Mohammad Yawar Ali, declared Musharraf an absconder his failure to appear before the court despite multiple summons.
The court directed the prosecutor to publish advertisements in both Urdu and English newspapers declaring Musharraf an absconder, and place posters outside the court and Musharraf's residences. The prosecutor was also ordered to submit record of all property owned by the accused before the next hearing on July 12.
The court also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce Musharraf before the court within 30 days
During the previous hearing, the court had issued non-bailable warrants Musharraf's arrest over his failure to appear before the court, despite repeated notices and the Director General FIA was ordered to execute the warrants.
In Wednesday's hearing, the court was told in a FIA report that Musharraf was served notices to appear at his residences in Islamabad and Karachi, but could not be produced before the court because he is abroad.
Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Minakhel, head of the bench, said that the defence has nothing to say anymore as the accused did not appear before the court despite repeated notices.
"Defence counsels should even be in the courtroom now," Justice Minakhel remarked.
Musharraf left the country on March 18, soon after the Supreme Court upheld the Sindh High Court directions to remove his name from the exit control list (ECL).
Earlier, the court also ceased the surety bonds submitted by Musharraf’s guarantor, Rashid Qureshi, and ordered him to submit a sum of Rs2.5 million as security deposit to the Registrar of the special court.
