As the special court is set to give its ruling on the medical report of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf today (Thursday), doctors at Britain’s Cromwell Hospital have reportedly told the former military strongman’s wife that she should get her husband shifted to their hospital for further treatment.
The advice comes as US media reports suggested that a strategy had been made to move the embattled general out of the country on medical grounds.
According to reports, Sehba Musharraf telephoned doctors in Cromwell Hospital and consulted them over her husband’s heart problem. She has been advised to shift the former president within 8 to 10 days.
Musharraf is under treatment in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), Rawalpindi. He was rushed there after complaining of chest pains while being driven to the court where his high treason trial was due to begin.
Sources told Pakistan Today that Musharraf underwent therapy of his left shoulder on Wednesday, but no decision has yet been taken on carrying out his angiography.
MUSHARRAF LEAVING SOON: US media citing sources claimed that the former dictator will soon leave Pakistan for medical treatment.
In separate reports, Los Angeles Times and CBSNEWS quoting unnamed security and intelligence officials claimed that Musharraf may leave the country by the end of this month.
Musharraf is expected to leave the country for medical treatment in exile, avoiding treason charges and returning to a life away from his home country by the end of January, claimed US media citing a family member.
“It is good for everybody — including Musharraf — that he would go out of the country,” LA Times quoted a senior security official in Islamabad, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Similarly, CBSNEWS also quoted an unnamed family member as saying, “I am under the impression the Army may try to discourage the government from putting one of its former chiefs on trial,” adding that “He is, after all, in a military hospital right now. From there he is more than likely to go into exile for purposes of medical treatment.”
One of Musharraf’s cousins told US media that the former president’s doctors were already seeking medical appointments for him in Britain during the second half of January, “to make certain that the treatment begins as soon as he lands in the UK”.
WEDNESDAY’S PROCEEDINGS: Meanwhile, the hearing of the high treason case against the former army chief was adjourned until Thursday (today) while the special court reserved its ruling over the application of criminal laws on the case until January 09.
A three-member bench led by Justice Faisal Arab resumed the hearing on Wednesday.
During the hearing, head of the prosecuting team, Advocate Akram Sheikh presented his arguments before the court in which he said that the Supreme Court had already issued a ruling according to which all crimes under the Army Act fell within the domain of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). He added that the special court enjoyed all the powers of a high court.
The court announced on Tuesday that it would give its verdict on Musharraf’s medical report after a day (on Thursday) which would determine an exemption from personal appearance of the accused in court.