ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has fixed for March 7, a contempt petition for not initiating high treason proceedings against former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf for abrogating the constitution by imposing emergency and PCO on November 3, 2007.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa, has fixed a six-year-old contempt petition filed by lawyer Sheikh Ahsanuddin for initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the then PML-N government for not registering a high treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution against Musharraf.
The treason case was started in November 2013 months after the PML-N’s government came into power.
Even the SC, led by incumbent CJP Khosa, had directed to conclude the trial expeditiously. However, the trial could not be concluded in the last six years due to several reasons.
Firstly, the special court in the start directed the federal government to include three more individuals for initiating treason case against them. Due to that order, the proceeding remained suspended for a couple of years. Later, the SC set aside the special court order, directing to conclude trial against Musharraf only.
In the meanwhile, the former army chief went abroad due to medical reasons. He has yet to return. Likewise, several judges, who were a part of the special court, have been either retired or elevated to the apex court.
The case remained a reason of civil-military tension during the PML-N regime. The treason case proceedings have almost halted during the tenure of the PTI-led government.