ISLAMABAD: Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, chairman of Parliamentary Committee on National Security, called upon the federal government on Monday to immediately register a treason case against former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf and try him on his return for twice subverting the Constitution.

Mr Rabbani, who had refused to take oath as a minister in March 2008 from Pervez Musharraf when the latter was the president, said the former military ruler should be tried and punished under Article 6 of the Constitution.

The PPP leader said that Gen Musharraf violated the Constitution not only when he illegally took over power on Oct 12, 1999, butagain repeated the crime on Nov 3, 2007, when he put superior courts judges behind bar, an action declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

'Therefore, it is the fittest case falling under Article 6 of the Constitution and also this man is involved in the murder of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. I, therefore, demand that if and when he comes to Pakistan he should be arrested at the airport, tried on these charges under Article 6 and for being implicated in the murder of a former prime minister,' Mr Rabbani said.

'This man is also responsible for the murder of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti and he, during his illegal tenure in office, deliberately worked to weaken the federation and created polarisation between the federation and provinces,' the PPP leader said.