F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday proposed three options for former president Pervez Musharraf to record his statement in the treason case.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi, heard a petition filed by Taufeeq Asif, the ex-president of Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench’s bar association.
The petitioner pointed out that the proceedings of the treason case being heard by a special court since 2014 had come to a halt since Musharraf had not returned to the country since 2016. The former president has been indicted in a high treason case for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007.
During the course of proceedings, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa remarked that one option was that Musharraf should either appear on the next hearing. The second option was Musharraf should record his statement via a video link and as a third option, Musharraf’s lawyer Salman Safdar should answer on his behalf, he added.
He remarked that he had an idea that Musharraf would be admitted to a hospital in the last hearing.
The chief justice asked if someone avoiding court proceedings with a purpose, was the court completely helpless in the matter and could do nothing about it?
Advocate Salman Safdar, counsel for Musharraf, rejected all the options and said that the defendant was too ill to answer questions via video link or in person.
The prosecution lawyer pointed out that the court also has the option of sending a commission to question the former president.
Upon this Justice Khosa responded that Musharraf will reach the hospital before the commission going there. His doctors were not even going to let the commission meet him, he added.
The Deputy Attorney General said that the government had previously tried to bring Musharraf back to the country through extradition and Interpol but could not succeed on both occasions.
The Chief Justice remarked that he was not surprised as foreign governments did not usually give a person up if there was a chance that they may be awarded the death penalty in the case.
He remarked that the special court handling the treason case would decide on how the statement should be recorded.
He remarked that if that court could not decide upon this in the next hearing on March 28, the Supreme Court would take the decision.
The counsel for the petitioner said that Musharraf did not take the court seriously.
Later hearing of the case was adjourned till April 1.
