SC admits ex-CJP Dogar’s plea in high treason case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has admitted for hearing a petition filed by former chief justice of Pakistan Abdul Hamid Dogar against declaring him co-accused with former president Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case.

The court directed the SC office to fix the case for hearing in the last week of February. The court refused to issue a stay order on investigations against Dogar.A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa took up the case on Wednesday. Justice Khosa, while expressing reservations over the judicial trial against Musharraf in the high treason case, remarked he had been stunned after realising that the parties concerned had twisted this case with mutual consent. “The investigation into the November 3, 2007 emergency proclamation has been delayed so much that we have forgotten its date.”

Defence counsel Iftikhar Gillani said conducting investigations against his client by mentioning his name was illegal and there was no evidence against him.Justice Khosa remarked that the Special Court, in its November 21, 2014 decision, had placed responsibility on three persons and ordered conducting an inquiry against them as co-accused. “Does your client enjoy exemption and investigations cannot be carried out against him.”

Gillani said his client’s statement had not been recorded while Musharraf’s statement was recorded.Attorney General Suleman Butt said an order was given for recording statements of Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz, Zahid Hamid and Abdul Hamid Dogar. “I think it is not aimed at giving any wrong message. It is aimed at holding independent investigations. The same order was given by the SC.”