Musharraf to return on May 1, says lawyer

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who is facing high treason trial in a special court, is likely to return to Pakistan on May 1, his counsel Salman Safdar said on Saturday.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Safdar said despite his deteriorating medical condition, the former military ruler was determined to appear before the court that had summoned him for the hearing scheduled for May 2.

Musharraf, who has failed to appear before the courts due to his medical condition since 2016, is suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body.

Safdar said the approval of former president’s personal physician had become of upmost importance in the current circumstances, considering his fragile medical condition. However, family sources have confirmed his arrival date, he added.

Earlier on March 28, the court rejected Musharraf’s plea to defer till May 13 hearing of the high treason trial, started in 2014 for his role in subverting the Constitution on November 3, 2007.

The three-judge bench also gave the former president’ counsel a questionnaire that he was expected to answer under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).

The bench, headed by Justice Tahira Safdar and comprising of Justice Nazr Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim, also dismissed his request for acquittal, noting that such requests should be formally submitted.

Earlier, Salman Safdar requested the court to allow him reasonable time for defence of his client, who in 2016 left the country for ‘medical treatment’ but has never returned since.