The political party founded by Pervez Musharraf – All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) – has announced to challenge the verdict of the special court which pronounced death sentence to the former military ruler in high treason case.
The APML spokesperson said in his statement that the verdict of the special court was ‘unconstitutional’ and the case against Pervez Musharraf was based on ‘political revenge’. The spokesperson maintained that the verdict was surprising as neither the stance of Musharraf was heard despite his repeated requests nor his lawyer was given a chance to defend him.
The statement read that the decision for imposing the state of emergency had been made after consultations with the then cabinet, chief ministers, governors and corps commanders. It added that the court has not included facilitators and inciters in the case.
Meanwhile, the legal team of former president Pervez Musharraf stated that the verdict given by special court does not meet the legal requirement as there was no fair trial in the case. Addressing a press conference, Musharraf’s lawyer Salman Safdar said that the high treason case trial was taking place for the first time but the verdict was given in a hurry. He further expressed that the basis of prosecution was wrong. “It was pity not to have a fair trial as it is a fundamental right of every citizen,” he said, adding that all laws were ignored in the case. Advocate Safdar stated that Musharraf’s surrender remains a question given his medical condition. “We will have a detailed review of the verdict and then make a decision regarding the matter,” he added.
