For Musharraf, time is of essence!

• SC rejects government’s plea for early hearing of Musharraf’s ECL case
• Interior secretary testifies five charges were levelled against Mush following FIA’s investigation

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday rejected the federal government’s plea for early hearing of case pertaining to the removal of former president Gen (r) Pervez Musahrraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani has directed the Registrar Office to fix the date for hearing.

The apex court constituted a five-member bench headed by Justice Saquib Nisar and comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Ijaz Afzal. The larger bench would resume the hearing of the petition on June 23.

Earlier on Monday, a three-member SC bench headed by Justice Saquib Nisar, while hearing the petition filed by the federal government for early hearing of the plea, had remarked that every matter that was brought before the court was important however this matter would be sent to the CJP who would decide the matter.

Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt had argued that the matter should be decided in the next two to three days. He had further argued that Musharraf had already filed a plea before the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking a decision review which could allow him to leave for abroad.

Buying the argument, the court had ordered the case hearing within a week.

It is pertinent to mention that the federal government on Saturday filed an appeal in SC against SHC’s decision to lift travel ban on Musharraf.

The government in its appeal requested the apex court to suspend SHC’s decision regarding removal of Musharraf’s name from the ECL. The court had also been asked to stop Musharraf from travelling abroad.

On the other hand, a two-judge bench of the SHC comprising justices Mohammad Ali Mazhar and Shahnawaz on Thursday had issued a 44-page verdict ordering the federal government to remove Musharraf’s name from the ECL.

The court had declared that the parties opposing its ruling could move the SC in the next 15 days and made it clear that till then Musharraf could not leave the country.

INTERIOR SECRETARY TESTIFIES:

Meanwhile, the court constituted to try Musharraf for treason recorded the testimony of Interior Secretary Shahid Khan on Wednesday.

The three-judge special court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the SHC, has been hearing the treason case against the former army strongman.

Khan told the court that he had been instructed by the federal government on June 26, 2013 to register the case against the former president. He added that the case was registered following investigations carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The interior secretary said that five charges were levelled in the case in light of the FIA’s investigation.

The special court had directed Khan to produce the original letter from the Prime Minister’s House in this regard, which the interior secretary failed to do, saying the letter could be in possession of the SC.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing till June 24.