Musharraf, govt asked to reply in three weeks

Treason trial against ex-army chief will be phased out, claims his aide

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday gave former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and the federal government three weeks to submit their reply over identical petitions of co-accused in the treason case who had challenged the November 21, 2014 order.

Justice Athar Minallah ordered Additional Attorney General Afnan Karim Kundi, representing the federal government and Musharraf’s counsel Chaudhry Faisal to submit their replies till first week of March.

The co-accused in the treason case – former PM Shaukat Aziz, ex-chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and former law minister Zahid Hamid – had challenged the special court order in which the government was ordered to include their names as abettors in the treason case.



On November 21, the special court had accepted Musharraf’s plea and ordered the government to include the names of the co-accused in the case.

“A senior member in the Nawaz Sharif cabinet has conveyed us through reliable channels that the high treason trial against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf would be phased out,” a close aide of the ex-general told The Express Tribune. The only thing which was agreed was that Musharraf would appear before the three-judge special court for indictment and later the government would not actively pursue the case, he said.

A top official in the federal government has also confirmed this development, saying that the government would not defend special court’s judgment in the IHC.

“Yes, there is a reason behind the recent gesture shown by Musharraf towards his institution, as armed forces protected the honour of their community member,” commented Advocate Ahmad Raza Kasuri, who is also coordinator of Musharraf’s APML.

Musharraf in an interview to Guardians said his problems are nearly behind him, and that he has the army to thank. “I’m very proud of my institution. Whatever they are doing to help me, to protect the honour and dignity of their ex-chief, I’m proud of that,” he reportedly said in the interview.

A senior official of the law ministry also told The Express Tribune recently that “There is a sense of repentance on the part of the government to initiate this case during the first year of its tenure.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2015.