Special Court to announce Musharraf case ruling on 17th

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Special Court said on Thursday it would announce the verdict in the high treason case against former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on December 17 after hearing arguments of government’s new prosecution team.

The new prosecution team appeared before the three-member bench headed by Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth and including Justice Shahid Kareem and Justice Nazeer Akbar. Prosecutor Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa said he and Munir Bhatti had been appointed as prosecutors in the case. Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa said he received his appointment notification at 4:00pm on Wednesday along with 3,000 pages’ record. He pleaded with the court to grant him time to go through the case record. The prosecutor said he would not depend on arguments of the previous prosecution team. Justice Nazar Akbar asked Advocate Bajwa to tell the court when he would present his arguments.

The judge asked the prosecutor he would not be given more than a week’s time. Advocate Bajwa asked the court to give them a reasonable amount of time. “There is a lot of pressure,” he added. Justice Seth said the prosecution team should set aside other cases to focus on the treason case, as judges had come from various parts of the country for the Special Court. “This is a special case and this is a special court,” he remarked.

Adjourning the hearing, Justice Seth remarked the Special Court would hear arguments of the new prosecution team on December 17 and announce the verdict.

The Special Court was constituted for the trial of former president Musharraf for abrogating the Constitution by proclaiming emergency on November 03, 2007.