The special court constituted to try former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for high treason indicted him on Monday.
The three judge court headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court read out the indictment against the ex-army strongman, with Musharraf pleading “not guilty” to each of them.
Musharraf, who has been absent from most of the tribunal’s hearings owing to security threats and ill health, then turned to address the court.
During today’s hearing, Pervez Musharraf has said, “He does not expect justice from present rulers.”
“I honour this court and prosecution, I strongly believe in law I don’t have ego problems, and I have appeared in court 16 times in this year in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” the 70-year-old, who ruled from 1999 to 2008, said.
“I am being called a traitor, I have been chief of army staff for nine years and I have served this army for 45 years. I have fought two wars and it is ‘treason’?”
The indictment cited imposition of November 3rd, 2007 emergency as one of the charges against Musharraf which led to the violation of Article 6 of the Constitution. It also included the deposition of superior court judges and the suspension of fundamental rights among the list of charges.
The charge sheet, which Musharraf signed today, also refers to his oath-taking under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).
The former military ruler has pleaded not guilty, saying he would stand his ground.
Subsequently, the hearing of the case was adjourned for today and the court would issue an order at 2pm.
The indictment took place after Musharraf’s arrival at the special court from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), where he has been residing for nearly three months.
Also today, Farogh Naseem, who is now representing Musharraf, requested the court to allow his client to travel to Dubai to see his ailing mother. He said the Constitution did not allow anyone to restrict the movements of a citizen.
Naseem said Musharraf had arrived in court voluntarily, adding that the warrant against his client had not been implemented.
Naseem moreover said that his client himself was unwell and that Musharraf’s proper treatment was only possible in the United States.
For nearly three months, Musharraf has been in the AFIC where he was taken after developing a cardiac condition.
Musharraf had to rush to the AFIC on January 2nd after he suffered chest pain while he was on his way to the special court. Initially, he was kept in the ICU but was later shifted to a room.
Late on Saturday, Musharraf was again moved to the AFIC’s ICU after his condition deteriorated due to stress upon receiving the news of his mother’s illness who is currently hospitalised in Sharjah and is suffering from respiratory complications.
Also earlier, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Musharraf in case he failed to appear before the court today.
Security arrangements
For his appearance in the special court today, three different routes were established by the capital police before Musharraf’s departure from AFIC.
A police squad and commandos had reached AFIC early in the morning to escort Musharraf to the court’s premises.
For the former president’s security, three thousand police and Rangers personnel were deployed on the routes.
The police squad is being headed by Superintendent Police Islamabad Mustanser Feroz and strict security measures were also in place outside AFIC.