Pakistan

Judges' detention case: Prosecution has yet to submit challan against Musharraf

Prosecutor claims his appointment notification as prosecutor of the case was issued much later.

Obaid Abbasi June 01, 2013

Former president Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The prosecution in the judges’ detention case has yet to submit a complete challan against General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, even after a month of proceedings.

Musharraf is facing terrorism charges in the case, which was based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him on August 11, 2009 by the Secretariat police for detaining over 60 judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

On Saturday morning, when the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) resumed the hearing of the judges’ detention case, Special Prosecutor Islamabad police Amir Nadeem Tabish claimed that his appointment notification as prosecutor was issued later.

Meanwhile, Inspector Mubarik Ali informed the court that the police has approached the registrar of the Supreme Court (SC) for the statements of judges and is awaiting their response.

Ilyas Siddiqui, counsel for Musharraf, expressed concern over the prosecution for not submitting a challan. He argued that the police is bound to submit a challan within 14 days, however it has failed to submit one so far.

The Secretariat police station house officer (SHO) had earlier approached the SC registrar but he did not give a positive response.

On April 18, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court rejected Musharraf’s bail plea and ordered his arrest. On May 22, a trial court rejected a second bail plea by Musharraf after the IHC shot him down.

COMMENTS (4)

Mirza | 10 years ago | Reply

Let us see the caretaker and now the new govt would dare try Mush or it was all hot air to force PPP govt to try Mush. NS and IK would never dare try him and would want him to disappear before they formally take charge. It would be interesting to know the stand of these two parties on Mush's trial?

A J Khan | 10 years ago | Reply

If we have Maulana Aziz's and self confessed terrorists Qadri's advocate as a Judge, then I have all the right to convey my no confidence in not the Judge alone, but the institution also where such people are elevated as Judges.