Musharraf sees ‘personal animosity’ behind his conviction for treason

Former military ruler's video message aired on private TV

KARACHI: Former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who was sentenced to death for treason by a special court on Tuesday, has raised serious questions on his trial, saying that the proceedings were wrapped up in haste based on “some people’s personal animosity” towards him.

In a video message recorded from his hospital bed in Dubai, the ailing former army chief said that Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa had revealed his intentions by saying he ensured a verdict in the treason trial.

CJP Khosa, who is retiring on Friday, said on Nov 20 that the post-2009 judiciary had convicted one prime minster [Yousuf Raza Gilani]; disqualified another [Nawaz Sharif]; and was soon going to decide the treason case against a former army chief [Musharraf]. “Had it not been for the chief justice, the case might never been decided,” a senior official told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

Musharraf, who has been out of the country since 2016, said there was no precedent of such a trial in the judicial history in which the defendant was not given the right to defend himself, nor was his lawyer allowed to argue on behalf of his client. “I had even offered to record my statement before a judicial commission, but even that offer was ignored,” he added.

“I call it [special court verdict] a suspicious judgment because it disregarded the principle of supremacy of law from the beginning. I’d rather say that if going by the Constitution, this case should not have been heard,” said Musharraf, who sounded weak and seriously ill.

The former army chief said the case against him had been taken up and concluded based on some people’s “personal animosity” towards him. “In this case, some people in high offices misused their authority to target one individual,” he added. “Targeting an individual based on selective events reveals the intentions of these people.”

Musharraf said he respects the Pakistani judiciary and believes, like Chief Justice Khosa, that everybody should be equal before the law.

The former military ruler thanked the Pakistani nation and its armed forces for remembering his services for the country. “This is the biggest honour which I’ll take to my grave,” he added.

The Pakistani military has angrily reacted to the special court ruling which, according to the military spokesperson, was received with a “lot of pain and anguish by the rank and file of the armed forces”.

He added that he would decide his future course of action after consulting his legal team. “I have faith in Pakistan’s judiciary, and I hope it will provide me justice based on the supremacy of law,” he added.

Musharraf’s political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, and his lawyers have already said that they would file an appeal against the “unconstitutional” judgment in the Supreme Court.