Supreme Court offers options to Musharraf to record statement in treason case
- By Web Desk -
- Mar 25, 2019
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday offered three options to former president Pervez Musharraf to record his statement in high treason case against him, ARY News reported.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, hearing a contempt petition with regard t delay in hearing of case against Musharraf. Justice Mazhar Alam and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah are other two members of the bench.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa while presenting three options to Musharraf said that he can record his statement by appearing before the court in person in the next hearing. If he refuses to return to Pakistan, he can record his statement in the case through a video link.
The third option for the retired army chief is that the counsel of Musharraf answer the questions on his behalf, the CJP said.
The petition was filed by Taufeeq Asif, the ex-president of Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench’s bar association. The petition pointed out that the proceedings of the treason case in a special court had come to halt since Musharraf had not returned to the country since 2016.
The court rejected a plea of Musharraf’s counsel for adjournment of the case.
The counsel of the petitioner said that Musharraf is not giving serious attention to the court.
The chief justice observed that the question is an accused not appearing in the court hearing. “If the court is powerless when an accused deliberately not appearing before the court?” The chief justice posed question. “if the law is silent over the situation, the constitution gives authority to the Supreme Court,” the chief justice remarked.
The bench in previous hearing regretted that the proceedings were in a limbo even though a special court had been constituted to hear the case against the former president.
Musharraf has been indicted in a case for suspending the Constitution by proclamation of emergency on Nov 3, 2007. He left for Dubai in 2016 to seek medical treatment and hasn’t returned since.