Musharraf's treason case: Govt submits reply to SC

Govt will form committee including members of FIA to collect evidence against the former dictator.

ISLAMABAD: Explaining the mechanism for a treason case against former dictator Pervez Musharraf, the government on Wednesday said it will form a committee including members of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to collect evidence against the accused.

This was stated in a reply submitted by the government to the Supreme Court today.

On June 24, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that Musharraf will be tried for treason under Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan. He is accused of subverting the constitution twice.

Soon after the decision, the apex court had set a three-day deadline to finalise a mechanism for treason trial. The government’s top lawyer Munir A Malik then called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss the case.

The Supreme Court had earlier declined a request by Malik to give the government a 30-day period to complete political consultations and finalise the mode of trial.

The retired general, who returned from four years of self-imposed exile in March, has been under house arrest at his plush farmhouse on the edge of Islamabad since April 19. He has been facing a slew of charges, including the proclamation of emergency rule on November 3, 2007 when he suspended the Constitution and put superior court judges under house arrest.