Musharraf case: SC rejects comments attributed to CJ

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday clarified a news item carried by a section of electronic and print media regarding an informal meeting of the Chief Justice of Pakistan CJP with the Press Association of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday.

A press release issued by the SC Public Relations Officer stated that some misleading and out of context news items were aired/published by different television channels and newspapers, without identifying any source, attributing the following statements to the Chief Justice of Pakistan: Pervez Musharraf's case was a clear case; Musharraf was given numerous opportunities; These people wanted to prolong the matter; If we did not hurry, the matter would have continued for many years; Despite the delays, the matter reached its logical end.

The statement stated that above news items created an impression that the Chief Justice was personally involved in the progress of the case before the Special Court.

"It is hereby clarified that different benches of the Supreme Court of Pakistan had been hearing different aspects of the case of General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf and had passed various orders for early disposition of the said case.

For instance CP No. 118/2016 (against the judgment dated 09.02.2015 passed by the Islamabad High Court, Islamabad in WP No. 3980/15) titled ''Abdul Hameed Dogar Vs, Federal Govt. through Secretary Ministry of Interior and 02 others'' was heard and decided in the year 2016 by a three-member Bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Tariq Pervez.

The bench had passed the following order: the Special Court is therefore expected to proceed with the trial of respondent No. 2 with all convenient dispatch and without any unnecessary delay.

"In another case, Civil Review Petition No. 513/14 in Constitution Petition No. 14/2013 ''Lahore High Court Bar Association Vs General (R) Pervez Musharraf etc. '' a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising of Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar had passed the following order on 01.04.2019: For the above reasons, the Special Court shall proceed with the trial on the next date of hearing.

In case, the accused surrenders and appears before the Court he would be entitled to record his statement under section 342 Cr. PC and lead any other defence under the law. However, in case the accused fails to appear on the next date of hearing, being a proclaimed offender, the Special Court is empowered to proceed against the accused even in his absence under section 9 of the Act.

The statement stated that the Chief Justice had not issued any direction of any sort to the Special Court other than the judicial directions issued by the relevant benches of the Supreme Court in the above mentioned cases which already stood published in the law reports of the country. "It is, therefore, clarified that the above mentioned news items aired/published by the media were baseless, concocted, false, stage managed, out of context and contrary to the facts," it added.