- The special court tried Musharraf for imposing “emergency” in 2007.
- The former president was sentenced to death in 2019 in a “high treason” case.
- The CJP-ISA led bench will hear the former ruler’s appeal against the sentence.
ISLAMABAD: A four-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa will hear the appeal filed by former President Pervez Musharraf against his 2019 death sentence.
A bench of CJP Isa, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Amin-ud-din Khan and Justice Athar Minallah will hear the former ruler’s appeal against his 2019 death sentence.
The former president was sentenced to death by a special court on December 17, 2019, under Article 6 of the Constitution after he was booked for high treason for “unconstitutional” during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Was. The decision to impose emergency in November 2007.
Musharraf was living in the UAE after leaving Pakistan for medical treatment in March 2016 with the approval of the PML-N government. He died in Dubai in February 2023 and was buried in Malir Cantonment, Karachi.
During today’s hearing, CJP Isa lamented why cases from 2019 till date were not scheduled for hearing and questioned Musharraf’s lawyer Salman Safdar as to why his petition was allotted no number for hearing. has not been.
To this, the counsel replied that the Registrar’s office had objected that no appeal could be filed by a convicted person without surrendering before the court.
The top court – hearing in chamber – had directed that the appeal be fixed for hearing in open court.
“When was the appeal hearing scheduled after the Chamber hearing?” the Chief Justice asked.
On this, Safdar informed the top judge that for the first time after that, hearing on the appeal has been fixed today.
“It’s a basic right [of a convicted individual] He [his] The appeal should be heard before the death sentence is awarded,” the lawyer said.
He also highlighted that the appeal against Musharraf’s death sentence was filed after amendments to the relevant criminal law
Safdar further insisted that the special court’s verdict was not “unanimous” and that his client was “sentenced in absentia”.
The court, while allowing the former President’s appeal against the death sentence, issued notice to the parties concerned in the case and adjourned the hearing till November 21.
