Summary Special court to hear treason allegations levelled against Musharraf on Friday.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The decision over Pervez Musharraf’s trial to be held by military court or special court will be announced today.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Faisal Arab will hear the treason allegations levelled against the former military ruler on Friday.
The court is set to announce verdicts on different petitions relating to the issue of judges being biased, authority of the special court and if the trial should be held by military court. Verdict over Musharraf’s appearance in court will also be issued.
The legal analysts stated that Musharraf will have to appear before the court if his plea over transferring the case to military court gets rejected. It is likely that he will also be indicted in next hearing.
Earlier, the special court reserved verdict over a petition filed by Musharraf’s lawyers arguing that the bench holding treason trial was biased.
One of the lawyers for Musharraf advocate Anwar Mansoor gave arguments over the petition filed against the biasness of judges in treason case.
He also argued that Justice Faisal Arab disposed of his client’s election petition from Sindh High Court and barred him from participating in general elections.
Musharraf’s counsel said that the judge accused of prejudice should detach himself from the bench, adding that a bench of unbiased judges was a prerequisite for fair trial.
After hearing the arguments, the bench reserved the decision and adjourned the hearing till February 21.
Earlier on Tuesday, Musharraf arrived at special court for the first time to face charges in a treason.
The 70-year-old arrived in a heavily protected cavalcade at the National Library in Islamabad where the court has been holding hearings.
Musharraf stood up when the judge entered and gave him a small wave but did not speak.
Justice Faisal Arab, who heads the special panel of three judges, did not charge Musharraf and said he would first examine challenges raised by the defence.
"We are inclined to first decide about the jurisdiction of this court, and if we decide that the jurisdiction is valid, the accused can be called again," he said.
Later, the court reserved its verdict on the plea seeking Musharraf s trial under Army Act till Friday.
Musharraf faces treason charges, which can carry the death penalty, over his suspension of the constitution and imposition of a state of emergency in 2007 while he was president.
He was first ordered before the tribunal on December 24 but had missed repeated hearings since then due to bomb scares and health issues that saw him complain of a heart problem.
Musharraf has accused Prime Minister Sharif, who he ousted in a 1999 coup, of carrying out a "vendetta" and has asked for permission to go abroad for medical treatment, which has been refused.
Nawaz Sharif came to power after elections in May last year in the first transfer of power from one elected government to another after a full term.
Musharraf has endured a torrid time since returning to Pakistan in March last year on an ill-fated mission to run in the general election.
Almost as soon as he landed, he was barred from contesting the vote and hit with a barrage of legal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.
The charges against him include the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.
