ISLAMABAD: The special court constituted to try former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for high treason indicted him on Monday, DawnNews reported.
The three judge court headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court read out the indictment against the ex-army strongman.
The indictment cited imposition of Nov 3, 2007 emergency as one of the charges against Musharraf which led to the violation of Article 6 of the Constitution. It also included the deposition of superior court judges and the suspension of fundamental rights among the list of charges.
The charge sheet, which Musharraf signed today, also refers to his oath-taking under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) as well as amendments to certain Articles of the Constitution.
The former military ruler has pleaded not guilty, saying he would stand his ground.
Subsequently, the hearing of the case was adjourned for today and the court would issue an order at 2pm.
The indictment took place after Musharraf’s arrival at the special court from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), where he has been residing for nearly three months.
Also today, Farogh Naseem, who is now representing Musharraf, requested the court to allow his client to travel to Dubai to see his ailing mother. He said the Constitution did not allow anyone to restrict the movements of a citizen.
Naseem said Musharraf had arrived in court voluntarily, adding that the warrant against his client had not been implemented.
Naseem moreover said that his client himself was unwell and that Musharraf’s proper treatment was only possible in the United States.
For nearly three months, Musharraf has been in the AIFC where he was taken after developing a cardiac condition.
Musharraf had to rush to the AFIC on Jan 2 after he suffered chest pain while he was on his way to the special court. Initially, he was kept in the ICU but was later shifted to a room.
Late on Saturday, Musharraf was again moved to the AFIC’s ICU after his condition deteriorated due to stress upon receiving the news of his mother’s illness who is currently hospitalised in Sharjah and is suffering from respiratory complications.
Earlier, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Musharraf in case he failed to appear before the court today.
For his appearance in the special court today, three different routes were established by the capital police before Musharraf’s departure from AFIC.
A police squad and commandos had reached AFIC early in the morning to escort Musharraf to the court’s premises.
For the former president’s security, three thousand police and Rangers personnel were deployed on the routes.
The police squad is being headed by Superintendent Police Islamabad Mustanser Feroz and strict security measures were also in place outside AFIC.
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