Treason trial: Special court partially accepts Musharraf plea to include co-conspirators

Court orders inclusion of civilan leaders in investigation but not of military leaders


Afp/azam Khan November 21, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Months after former president Pervez Musharraf requested to include alleged co-conspirators in the high treason trial against him, a special court on Friday partially accepted the plea with majority vote.

Former military chief Musharraf was formally charged in March this year for subverting and circumventing the Constitution by imposing emergency on November 3, 2007 – charges he denies.

The special court accepting Musharraf’s plea today, gave the federal government 15 days to submit a report to the court in this regard so investigations can be started once again, including three co-conspirators.

The case was heard by a three-member bench of the special court in Islamabad, headed by Justice Faisal Arab.

The court has decided that then prime minister Shaukat Aziz, then law minister Zahid Hamid and then chief justice of Pakistan Abdul Hameed Dogar will be included in the investigation but Musharraf's request for including then top military leaders was not accepted.

“They have given a majority judgement that is two judges accepted it,” Musharraf’s counsel Fasial Chaudhry said, while talking to media representatives.

"Based on the material on record, the probability of their involvement as aiders and abettors cannot be ruled out," the court said in its order signed by two of the three-judge bench hearing the case.

"We are therefore of the view that joinder of the then prime minister and the then federal law minister is necessary to secure the ends of justice."

The third judge on the panel gave a dissenting view, dismissing the application to extend the charges.

While speaking to Express News, Musharraf's counsel Farogh Naseem said all those against whom evidence is found will be implicated.

Earlier this year, Musharraf’s counsel Naseem had requested the court to include accomplices in the trial. Labelling the request as premature, Prosecutor Akram Sheikh had said the issue regarding the co-accused can be raised when witnesses will record their testimonies.

The hearing of the case has been adjourned till December 9.

COMMENTS (16)

Adnan | 9 years ago | Reply

@excalibur: Have you ever heard of the constitution that puts the army chief under the defense minister, below the defense secretary and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee? @Rawalpindi Kid: so Mush cant be handcuffed? under what law? is he above the law?

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply

If our politicians think, like some do, that (unlikely) punishment of a military ruler will close all doors to military adventurism for ever, they are terribly mistaken. All it could perhaps accomplish is to make them extra careful, ensuring that they take all steps to fully cover their acts.. In reality, chances of military adventurism could be eliminated only through honest and efficient governance by civilians, making masses to long for its continuance, thus eliminating the need for them to start hoping or looking for alternatives. Unfortunately, our traditional politicians have proved beyond any shadow of doubt that they neither have the aptitude nor the ability to run governments honestly and efficiently - being in politics only to multiply their personal wealth, and that of family and friends - thus paving the way for military takeover, with the military ruler fully confident of receiving a warm welcome from the masses, not necessarily because he could provide better governance, but for creating some, even if remote hope of things improving for the masses eventually, whereas with the traditional rulers, having been tried and failed miserably many times, all hope is lost and there is certainty only of things getting worse with each passing day.

Karachi.

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