Lahore HC returns Musharraf's petition against his conviction

Islamabad: The Lahore High Court has returned Pakistan's former military dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf's application challenging the death sentence handed to him by a special court in a high treason case, citing non-availability of the full bench due to winter vacations.

The registrar office of the Lahore High Court (LHC) returned Musharraf's application, which named the federal government and others as respondents, filed through his lawyer Azhar Siddique on Friday. The 86 page-long petition sought constitution of a full bench of the court to quash the verdict of the three-member tribunal which sentenced the 76-year-old Musharraf to death in absentia for high treason following a six-year legal case on December 17.

The registrar of the court returned the application on Friday with observation that the full bench was not available due to winter vacations, the Dawn reported.

A three-member bench constituted by the LHC is set to hear on January 9 Musharraf's main application through which he has challenged all actions against him starting from complaint of high treason to establishment of the special trial court and its proceedings.

While returning the petition against the verdict of the tribunal, the registrar asked the petitioner to refile it in the first week of January, Musharraf's lawyer Siddique said.

Musharraf, in his petition, has asked the high court to set aside the special court's verdict, terming it illegal, without jurisdiction and unconstitutional.

The petition highlighted that the "judgement contained a mix of anomalies and contradictory statements". It said the special court "rapidly and hurriedly wrapped up the trial which was far from

conclusion". PTI