A special court in Islamabad on Tuesday reserved its verdict in a high treason case involving former president Pervez Musharraf.
Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth inquired while heading a three-member bench about Musharraf’s lawyer. To which, he was informed by a special registrar of the court that the lawyer was gone to perform Umrah.
Justice Seth said that the former president’s lawyer had been given a third chance to submit his arguments today.
The proceedings were briefly adjourned, after which the court said that the verdict in the case will be announced on Nov 28. Additionally, the court said that Musharraf’s counsel could submit written arguments by Nov 26.
Interior Secretary Maj (retd) Azam Suleman Khan appeared before the court today after he was summoned in the previous hearing on Oct 24.
In October, the Islamabad High Court had dismissed a petition that sought deletion of terrorism charges against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf and transfer of the judges, detention case from the Anti- Terrorism Court (ATS) to the sessions court.
The former President has been seeking deletion of terrorism charges and subsequent transfer of his case from the ATC to the sessions court on the ground that initially the FIR was registered under the Pakistan Penal Code against him in connection with the detention of 60 judges of the superior judiciary after the imposition of emergency on November 3, 2007.
In May this year, Musharraf’s health all of a sudden started deteriorating and was taken to a hospital.
Musharraf has been living in Dubai since March 2016, is facing treason charges for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014.
Earlier, a special court while accepting Musharraf’s request to postpone the hearing of the high treason case against him adjourned the hearing till June 12. During the hearing, Musharraf’s counsel Salman Safdar informed the court that his client is unable to walk and he also could not speak well.
Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, has been declared a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case and the Red Mosque cleric killing the case.