Former president Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: AFP
The lawyers claimed to have received threats from banned terrorist organisations and decided to disassociate themselves from the case for security reasons.
The hearing was adjourned till May 8.
Other media reports suggested that the trial was adjourned due to the absence of Anti-Terrorist Court special judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi.
Background
An ATC had extended Musharraf’s judicial remand till May 18 in the judge’s detention case on Saturday. This came after a request from Musharraf’s lawyer who claimed police were too busy in election duties to provide security to his client.
Musharraf’s counsel informed the court that he had submitted an application to the Islamabad chief commissioner to start Musharraf’s trail at his farmhouse sub-jail due to security reasons. He said the chief commissioner had accepted his application on May 3. However, the court observed that this would be possible only after the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) approval.
The IHC later allowed Musharraf’s trial to be held at the sub-jail, also asking the chief commissioner to ensure the ATC judge’s and his staff’s security during the trial.
COMMENTS (41)
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Musharraf has no lion heart - the video of him running away from court against his arrest order, high handed ways demanding he utilise more than two rooms of his luxurious sub jail show his dictatorial ways, just one of many many examples.. That he be allowed the sub jail to be converted into a court again shows he believes he is above all Pakistanis and should be treated as such. Another dictatorial trait. That he threatens judges trying him will open a Pandora's box in effect is once again the high handed disrespectful ways of a dictator against institutions that are applying the laws of the land, and in effect demonstrate his own admitted guilt in the cases he is being tried for, and others yet to be named! The judges have given in to these demands, hopefully the trials will be impartial and without any more favours. he is treated much better than he treated his opponents - Nawab Bugti, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and a very long etc....
@hamza khan: Sir, Your argument has no legs at all. RSS and VHP may cry hoarse but they were never in power. Calling Indira Gandhi a dictator seems to be totally misplaced she was a strong PM, democratically elected , like Margaret Thatcher or Bandaranayke or Saikh Hasina. Comparing Mush with Indira is laughable.
With "Shylock" heading the team of avengers, do you expect justice for Musharraf?
@p r sharma: Fill gap in your knowledge. All accountability institutions like NAB, Judiciary and Parliament were operational who validated actions of PM. To whom judiciary termed as legitimate your emotions can't make him a dictator. Furthermore, he has been an elected President by the parliament. So please be patient. It would be more logical if you rather term those who validated his actions whatever your like.
@bandgi: From Dr. Khan to dead at Kargil to OBL and his harem appreciate the good work of Mush.
He did more good development work than democratic PPP & PML(N).................We should appreciate the all good works have done By him............THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE.......
@Muhammad Akram: Are you joking? You cannot be possibly in that much denial, asking the people not to call him a dictator, just because he was forced to relinquish power? EVERY dictator ever has been forced to relinquish power, either through political movements, death or ambitions of other want-to-be dictators. Ayub, Yahya, also gave up power, are they also not classified as dictators any more? He IS a dictator, and one that has caused great long term harm to the country, by destroying institutions, crippling power infrastructure development and mutating the role of the army. We will feel the results of his destructive rule for decades.
We must not forget history, there were always people who praised every single dictator, Ayub's golden economic times, Yahya's diplomacy, Zia's projection of pakistan to the world stage and now Musharraf's what?- all of these so called merits were illusions, their combined rules have destroyed Pakistan, quite literally, bangladesh, concentration of wealth, destruction of two party system, infancy of state institutions, disproportionate resources to the army, unrest in north and Baluchistan, sectarianism, extremism, its endless. And in case you have forgotten in your comparisons of politicians VS. Musharraf, he was the one who bought people like Ch. Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi and the worst poeeible turncoats and opportunists from everyparty to power. - So please dont bother to 'dictate' what we can call Musharraf, he is and always will be a dictator.
Th rats usualy leave the sinking or one should rather call it the sunken ship!!!. Musharaf was sent back by his masters from across the atlantic for a Plan 'B' to jontly form the Gvernmnt with Imran Khan. This got backfired since wrong intellignce was being provided to him.
He was a mini Dictator comparing to Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini, but Dictator definitely he was!! Nunc potns minus est.Now he has lost his power. This is how the cookie crumbels. Is he going to follow Bhutto or Zia ul Haque, is the remaining question ?.
Rex Minor
@Rashid Ahmed:
Unfortunately we don't have the time. There is no guarantee either. In 65 years this nation and their leaders have not changed. It wont change until the literacy rate goes up drastically but unfortunately the situation is different. Our country going backwards. 60' and 70's were so good and since then everything is going in the reverse direction. I don't think this nation will change. They want change but don't change their leaders. They vote for the corrupt inefficient leaders again and again coz money talk. These leaders have a lot of corrupted money to buy the elections, to buy media, to buy anything and everything to win an election. In this situation how can anybody think election process will clean the corrupt the politicians.
@Haider:
As long as we think that somebody can come and do it, we would never achieve anything. Who remove Ayub Khan? He was powerful at the time. He was remove by the people of Lalukhet of Karachi. A wave of people stand up against him. People get killed but their will does not diminish. So people should stand up by themselves if they wanted some change.
@A J Khan: "Never in history of Pakistan, did even the worst dictator not resort to such denial of justice as is being seen today"
Does the Bhutto trial ring a bell? What about hundreds of thousands that were killed during operation searchlight without any trial?
@A J Khan:
You are right bro. Justice Azam Afridi is a truthful lawyer and if you go to his website azamafridi dot com you will know the truth about the judiciary.
@Muhammad Akram:
It strikes me also as soon as I started reading. Why these jounalists use dictator for Musharraf. Did'nt the MNA's elected him. Nawaz sharif's dictator party never have an election but the media gets big lifafa's so all the journalists are happy. One more reason is that Musharraf is a non-Punjabi and the whole media is Punjabi, whole Judiciary is Punjabi. How can Musharraf will get the justice. I cannot write few lines about the truth and my comment is thrown is dust bin. This is our country. Are we already in the end times when good is going to be considered bad and bad would be consider as good..
@Muhammad Akram yeah right, it's not fair to call a dictator a dictator, the one who violated his oath to the army, put aside the constitution, acted as a mercenary and the list goes on ....
The first line in the article proves the bias of the writer. I dont know what you guys are trying to do. Are you trying to run a bipartisan newspaper or have you left the writers to express their personal feelings in the articles? He was a FORMER President & a FORMER COAS & the writer chooses to say DICTATOR? Filthy reporting indeed. There was a functioning parliament under him & a government that completed its tenure.
@p r sharma:
so then your RSS and VHP and your former PM indira gandhi were all dictators? they impose their will on people, burn them when they disagree and get away with it all. pretty dictatorial.
Dr Ata-ur-Ranman, former chairman HEC, should be Mushraff's advocate.
Totally surprises me the support this man, who brought so much dishonor to Pakistan. Are people dumb or mislead or what?Can some one please explain to me.
@A J Khan: "Never in history of Pakistan, did even the worst dictator not resort to such denial of justice as is being seen today." Good signs for Pakistan as people are mustering courage to stand against Dictators. They must.
@Muhammad Akram: "It is not fair on your part to describe the former president of Pakistan as Dictator while mentioning his name. He handed over power to an elected government. He was given gaurd of honour."
Mr. Akram , the moment a general topples the elected government he becomes a dictator ( one who dictates his wishes, ideas , own style of governance without any accountability). Whether he is perceived good, bad, praise worthy, hated or respected such person holding power without the mandate of the people is termed a Dictator and likes or dislikes can not change it.
Mush needs another of his kind ("Enlightened" / "Moderate" / "Brave" / "Courageous" / Superficial) at the helm of judiciary/ army in order to strike an NRO type deal so as to receive pardon and flourish in Pakistan.
It is upto the general public either they elects the same corrupt politician or to a new one. There is no fault of democracy but the people who votes for the corrupt or do not vote for the honest leadership. So let the people to decide their leadership again and again without interruption by any Dictactor for 10 years (as seen in the past). The undemocratic and corrupt politician will definately be thrown out by the people after the passage of some time.
@Aasma Jahangir Democracy requires time. Please give it at least another election term. After all we gave 10 years to Mush.
Elections without permission for Musharraf to contest can't be termed as free. Once they are not free they are neither fair. Its an oppression against Musharraf and humiliation for the country that an army chief who was a hero be treated this way. Whereas, rest all who are corrupt are allowed to participate in elections. Pakistan ka Khuda Hafiz....
Our prayers are with you Mush. Allah will help you to deal against all these devils.
This country badlyyyyy.... needs a full fledge Martial Law and an operation clean up. Army must take over and publicly execute corrupt political leaders, Judges, Mullahs and Media people. Only its this surgery which can help Pakistan to survive. Beyond doubt people will welcome army because they need their well being more than democracy. Five years democracy has shown us enough to learn from it. Democracy can't help Pakistan to progress until a strong Martial Law works to out to first perform operation clean up.
It was better being under military rule then to be ruled by this @)&*$^& Politicans who just want to pocket as much as money possible in their pockets . Jis din Hisab ho ga what will they have to say before Almighty all properties and money will be left here nuthing can be taken along . Fear of God is the begining of Wisdom but in Pakistan people are simply not that akalmand . Most of them have come up with their belief's for their own personal benefits be it anybody. Well just dont get it why are the couts so scared of Mr Musharraf. When other politicans and terrorists are freely allowed to contest who have killed thousand of innocent lives by their actions in this 5 years . Its very clear now even the Supreme Judicary is BIKAOU ( SOLD OUT ). Bus Allah hi Hafiz hai Pakistan ka...
Mush had things under control..He was better than the PPP govt. There is no doubt in that! Mush has done the best thing a military dictator could do. He came back. Unfortunately he will have to be punished because if a dictator is punished once, than this will stop the army from stating coups. Democracy will flourish! The interesting part is that Musharraf knew his fate before coming. What a patriot !
Unfortunately terrorist elements have got backing of institutions otherwise they had no value. Shame for entire nation.
conflict of interest at its peak!! related parties is at the peak ! the court is a personal party in this ! the govt wants to blame all failures on mush! diusgusting
I hope our people live up to that day when their inner voice tells them what the truth is; and then they shall hear that Musharraf was a true patriot who was cent percent sincere to Pakistan. And I also hope that by that time Musharraf get exonerated of all the ridiculous charges that have been implicated against him and he settles somewhere in civlized world. Pakistan does not deserve him. Had he been a leader in countries like Turkey or Malaysia, they would have become industrial & economic super powers. But we are people of Wonderland and strange things happen here - corrupt people are roaming around freely and a true patriot has been imprisoned! Shame on us!!!
Good for Mush, root of all evils currently in pak.
The Loin is being cornered by the Jackals but Loin is a Lion and he will bounce back... We will see
Unfortunately media, judiciary and a few political parties are encouraging terrorists for attacking parties working against terrorism. Since Musharraf is the most courageous leader to speak out against terrorists, he has become a traget of the terrorists with support from media, judges and the so called right wing political and relegious parties.
Pakistan is heading towards a complete disaster.
Musharraf has got a lion heart. He is facing all bravely and returned to homeland knowing all the hardships. His love with Pakistan is undoubtedly pure.
Abu Arsalaan's meeting with Sipha Sahaba leader during visit to Saudi Arabia bears fruit ????
Never in history of Pakistan, did even the worst dictator not resort to such denial of justice as is being seen today. Judicial goons of the Kana Brigade want to derail democracy at the behest of its foreign employers. Vendetta continues.
It is not fair on your part to describe the former president of Pakistan as Dictator while mentioning his name. He handed over power to an elected government. He was given gaurd of honour. His government was far more benevolent in its style than the democratic government of PML N and PPP. strong text