High treason trial: Shaukat Aziz to contest special court’s verdict

The former PM is said to have asked his attorneys to wage a legal battle

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shaukat Aziz has decided to contest the verdict of the  special court, which has included his name among ‘the abettors’ of former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a high treason trial for subverting the Constitution on November 3, 2007.

It is learnt that Shaukat Aziz will not come back to Pakistan until asked by the special court’s three-judge bench and that he has transferred responsibility for legal battle to his attorneys in Pakistan. Aziz will, however, remain available for any investigation, sources said.

Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that after the special court’s verdict, Aziz approached legal experts – including his tenure’s prominent figure, Wasim Sajjad – to ponder on legal options.

They said the Wasim Sajjad-led team will now decide whether the judgment of Justice Faisal Arab-led Special Court should be challenged before the Supreme Court or should the option of filing a writ petition before a high court be exercised first.

“But one thing is very clear in our minds. We will challenge the jurisdiction of the Special Court, which directed the federal government to add Aziz’s name as abettor of Musharraf without having any such power or authority to do so,” said a legal expert, who is in contact with Aziz.

He said Aziz spends most of his time travelling between London and Dubai.

When approached, Wasim Sajjad said consultation is under way on different legal options but he refused to reveal details of deliberations, citing sensitivity of the issue. He said he would unveil all details after materialising the plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2014.