Treason case: IHC never suspended proceedings of trial

Special bench made it clear that IHC never halted trial rather suspension of proceedings was up to the special court

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) clarified on Tuesday that it had never ordered to suspend the treason trial pending against the former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for the last six months.

A special bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi and Justice Aamer Farooq made it clear that the IHC never halted trial rather suspension of proceedings was up to the special court.

The bench said that the December 23, 2014 IHC order had stated that the special court ‘may suspend’ its proceedings, adding that it can continue proceedings as per the constitution.

It was earlier reported by almost all the media that the IHC had stopped special court from proceedings in treason case.

When the case was taken up, a petitioner, Taufiq Asif, raised the issue that the case was pending before the special court following the orders of a single bench of the IHC. When the bench allowed him to read the December 23 order, it emerged that the court had never stopped the special court from proceeding in the case rather it had just made a suggestion.

Meanwhile, the associates of the senior lawyers requested the court to adjourn the case as their seniors were unable to appear before the court.

The bench observed that the case has been adjourned many a times despite the Supreme Court giving the IHC a month’s time to conclude hearing of petitions. The bench directed the counsels to select a date of their choice and the court would adjourn all other cases just to hear this case.

The counsels suggested last week of September.

The special bench was hearing the petitions of former federal minister for science and technology Zahid Hamid who was Musharraf’s law minister in 2007, former Supreme Court chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

All the three had challenged the special court’s order of November 21 directing the federal government to include more names as abettors in Musharraf’s act of imposing emergency.

Earlier, the federal government had submitted before the IHC that it was ready to initiate investigation against the aiders and abettors in the treason case pending against the former president.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2015.