Former Pakistan leader Pervez Musharraf sentenced to death for treason

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan leader and military ruler Pervez Musharraf was sentenced to death in absentia for high treason on Tuesday in a landmark ruling for a country where the military has been all-powerful. A three-member bench of a special court in Islamabad announced the 2-1 verdict, adding that a detailed judgment will be released in the next 48 hours.

The 76-year-old former leader was convicted on charges of suspending the constitution and unlawfully imposing emergency rule in 2007. The court ruling is the culmination of a six-year legal battle following Musharraf’s indictment in 2014. Musharraf seized power in a 1999 military coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but was forced to step down nine years later amid mass protests.

He is currently in Dubai after being allowed to leave Pakistan for medical treatment in 2016. Musharraf’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, told Arab News that the sentence was “unconstitutional and illegal,” and said the case against the former leader had been politically motivated. “The judgment has been announced in haste and the conviction of my client in absentia has no legal foundation,” Safdar said.

“Proper legal procedure was not followed to initiate the case in the first place.” Safdar said that he had yet to consult Musharraf on the next step following the court verdict. The former president was in a self-imposed exile for several years, but returned to Pakistan in 2013, after which Sharif filed the high treason case against him. In a video message released earlier this month, Musharraf claimed he was being victimized in the case.

“I have fought wars for Pakistan and served my country for 10 years,” he said, describing the claims against him as “baseless.” Musharraf’s party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), said on Tuesday that the ruling was “appalling.” “This case was formed on flimsy grounds, and the former president was singled out,” Mehrene Malik Adam, APML general-secretary, said. She described the court decision as “one-sided,” especially since the former president is under treatment and “fighting a deadly disease.” Adam said that the party will file an appeal against the judgment.