A twist in the tale

In a strange twist to the high treason case pending against former president Pervez Musharraf since December 2013, the counsel for the former COAS and the government have both moved before the Islamabad High Court almost identical petitions seeking that the verdict due in the case on Nov 28 be held back. The petitions come only three days before this long-awaited judgment was to be issued and days after the chief justice of Pakistan made reference to it while emphasizing that the superior courts did not hesitate to rule against the powerful or influential.

The IHC, after hearing the plea from the government and Musharraf, delayed the hearing till today. There was a remark from the bench on the similarities between the petitions. The government’s petition is based chiefly on its claim that after the former attorney general of Pakistan, Akram Sheikh, resigned following the change in government there was no leadership for the prosecution. Oddly enough, the petition also mentions that after Sheikh pulled, Musharraf wrote to the interior ministry stating that the prosecution case had now lost all steam. The government does not explain why it waited over a year to de-notify its own legal team, but states that this team had overlooked many aspects of the case and left behind glaring loopholes. There is also a reference to the fact that then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had on his own decided to bring the case against Musharraf rather than going through the cabinet as is required by law.

The legalities of the matter will no doubt be debated at length by experts. But the timing of the petitions is certainly peculiar. It is also important to mote that a number of Musharraf’s aides are in key positions within the PTI government. The coming days will no doubt open up further questions. Already eyebrows have been raised. We are not in a position to say what is happening behind the scenes. However, analysts have agreed that bringing this case to justice would set an excellent precedent given Pakistan’s history. Of course, the courts need to decide on what the verdict should be in the matter. But for now further suspense prevails and a decision on the matter is still being awaited by the people almost over a decade after the constitution of Pakistan was suspended and the charges of treason began to be voiced.