Punjab

Court seeks Federation’s view on Musharraf’s prosecution

LHC sought final clarification from federal government, asks whether a case of high treason could be registered.

Express November 06, 2010

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday sought a final clarification from the federal government by November 10 whether a case of high treason could be registered against former president Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution as desired in several petitions pending before the court.

The court issued this direction to the federal government through a deputy attorney general.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed passed this order on the petition filed by Ilmuddin Ghazi through his counsel AK Dogar. The petitioner submitted that a case should be registered against Musharraf for high treason. He also submitted that red warrants be issued for his extradition through Interpol so that he can be tried under Article 6.

Another petition filed by Aziz Ahmed Awan is also pending in the LHC.

The petitioner has levelled 15 allegations against the former military ruler praying for registration of a case against him and his extradition.

In both the petitions, Musharraf is accused of preventing judges of the Supreme Court and four high courts from performing their duties, detaining Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry along with his children and killing many Hafiz-e-Quran children during the Jamia Hafsa operation in Islamabad.

The petitioners also submitted that the former president had forced Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to accept the charges of selling nuclear technology illegally, which tarnished the country’s image.

Musharraf is also accused of being involved in the Karsaz incident in Karachi, ordering the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and threatening his family in one of the petitions. It also states that Musharraf joined the United States in its war after 9/11 without the nation’s consent and handed over innocent citizens to America. According to Ghazi, General (retired) Musharraf also plotted to kill Benazir Bhutto.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2010.