High Treason: Pleas against Musharraf referred to CJ

LHC referred two cases against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf to the chief justice.

LAHORE: Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Lahore High Court on Friday referred two cases against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf to the chief justice so he can set up a larger bench to hear the petitions seeking the extradition and prosecution of the former military ruler for high-treason under Article 6 of the Constitution. AK Dogar, the petitioners’ counsel, urged the court on Friday to refer the petitions to the chief justice, like it had done with a petition against the prime minister, since there were constitutional issues at stake. The judge agreed and sent the case to the chief justice. Advocate Rana Ilmuddin Ghazi moved one petition and Aziz Ahmad Awan, secretary general of the Tameer-e-Pakistan Party, moved the other through counsel SN Khawar. The petitions accused the former president and army chief of sabotaging the Constitution, violating his oath of office and illegally dissolving an elected government in his pursuit for power.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2011.