Legal wrangling: Prosecution submits record of cases against Musharraf

Defence counsel expresses confidence in the judiciary

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Monday placed before the Supreme Court a record of cases pending against former president Pervez Musharraf in different courts.

The record was submitted by the attorney general along with the respective rulings in a series of high profile cases against the former military ruler.

Chaudhry Faisal Hussain, who is part of Musharraf’s legal team, told The Express Tribune that he had complete trust in the judiciary and hoped that his client would get justice.

“The ongoing protests have not given any advantage to our client. He is still facing trial,” Hussain said. “The government is linking the ongoing political impasse with the high treason case,” he added.

The former president’s lawyer also dispelled rumours that he had clinched a deal with the government and was set to leave the country soon.

Musharraf, who was recently indicted in the high treason case, could face the death penalty if found guilty of overturning the country’s constitution.

Facing a myriad of legal challenges, the former president’s name was placed on the ECL on April 5, 2013, following a Sindh High Court order on March 29, wherein it was directed that he will not leave the country without permission of the trial court.

Cold war between prosecution and AG office

According to sources, the AG’s office and the government’s prosecution team — which is pressing treason charges against the former president — are at odds.

Expressing his apprehensions over the AG’s office, a key member of the prosecution team said that AG Salman Aslam Butt can hush up Musharraf’s case as he was associated with Sharifuddin Peerzada, a legal adviser to the former president.

“Even one of the top law officers in the attorney general’s office had shown his willingness to contest Musharraf’s treason case before the special court,” he added.

Commenting on the issue, a senior government aide told The Express Tribune that Butt’s appointment as AG was made on a temporary basis following Munir A Malik’s resignation.

Since Akram Sheikh was leading the prosecution team in the high treason case, his appointment as the attorney general was deferred.

The Express Tribune has also learnt that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawyers’ wing is also dissatisfied with Butt’s decision regarding the appointment of law officers in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2014.