Former dictator Musharraf to be tried for treason: PM Nawaz Sharif

Published June 24, 2013
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses the Parliament in Islamabad on June 24, 2013. – AFP Photo
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses the Parliament in Islamabad on June 24, 2013. – AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the National Assembly Monday that the government would put former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on trial for treason, charges punishable by death or life imprisonment.

He told the lower house of Parliament that the newly elected government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will file a written request before the Supreme Court to try former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for treason under Article 6 of the Constitution.

Sharif said the former president had committed treason by abrogating the Constitution and he should be tried under the law.

The premier moreover said Musharraf would be tried for imposing a state of emergency in the country in 2007 while also suspending the Constitution.

Earlier, Attorney General of Pakistan Munir A. Malik informed the Supreme Court that the government was fully committed to initiate high treason case against the former military ruler and his abettors according to the provisions of the Constitution.

The AG submitted a written statement before the three-member SC bench comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan during the hearing of petitions against Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency in the country on November 3, 2007.

“Given the primacy of the issue in the struggle for upholding the spirit of Constitution, the federal government will proceed in accordance with law and also take political forces into confidence through a consultative process so that the collective will and wisdom of the people of Pakistan is duly reflected in further process in this behalf,” said the statement.

The attorney general stated that the government would need time to frame the whole process. However, the apex court adjourned further hearing of the case till June 27 while directing the AG to further explain the government’s stance on the issue.

Leader of Opposition in NA Syed Khurshid Shah welcomed the prime minister's speech in NA and said that the pictures of all past dictators should be removed from the parliament premises.

He said that people rejected those who called the Constitution of Pakistan a meagre piece of paper, a reference to another former dictator General Ziaul Haq.

Other members of the NA sitting on opposition benches also extended their full support to government in its decision to try the former dictator.

Following Shah’s address, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his party would support every constitutional step taken by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The premier later took the federal cabinet into confidence over government's response in high treason case against Pervez Musharraf.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...