Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s trial for treason, which had been due to open on Tuesday, was postponed until 1 January after explosives were found near the road he was to take to court.
The 70-year-old had been expected to appear in person before a specially-convened court in the capital Islamabad, after legal efforts to have the tribunal ruled invalid failed. The treason allegations are the latest in a series of serious criminal charges relating to Musharraf’s 1999-2008 rule brought since he returned from exile in March. His aides and lawyers have dismissed the cases as politically motivated, accusing the government and others of trying to use the courts to settle old scores. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who won a third term in May’s general election, was the man Musharraf ousted when he seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
It is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former military ruler has been put on trial for treason and the case puts the government on a collision course with the all-powerful army, which faces the embarrassment of having its former chief tried by civilians. The treason charges relate to Musharraf’s imposition of emergency rule in November 2007 and if found guilty he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The 70-year-old had been expected to appear in person before a specially-convened court in the capital Islamabad, after legal efforts to have the tribunal ruled invalid failed. The treason allegations are the latest in a series of serious criminal charges relating to Musharraf’s 1999-2008 rule brought since he returned from exile in March. His aides and lawyers have dismissed the cases as politically motivated, accusing the government and others of trying to use the courts to settle old scores. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who won a third term in May’s general election, was the man Musharraf ousted when he seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
It is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former military ruler has been put on trial for treason and the case puts the government on a collision course with the all-powerful army, which faces the embarrassment of having its former chief tried by civilians. The treason charges relate to Musharraf’s imposition of emergency rule in November 2007 and if found guilty he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.