LHC seeks Pak govt’s reply on petition seeking Musharraf’s trial for high treason

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court has sought a reply from the Pakistan government on December 21 on a petition seeking former president Pervez Musharraf’s trial on high treason charges.

On Friday, a junior law officer appeared before the court on Deputy Attorney General Tanvir Ahmad Hashmi’s behalf, and sought time to comply with the court order, the Daily Times reported.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed directed the law officer to come on the next date of hearing with a reply, as seven months had passed but the government had not complied with its order.

Petitioner Pakistan Lawyers Forum’s (PLF) counsel A K Dogar submitted before the court that a change in law would empower any citizen to get an FIR registered against Musharraf, as he was guilty of high treason.

Dogar submitted that Article 6 did not lay down any condition that the federal government could only invoke the provision of this article, therefore, Section 3 of the High Treason (Punishment) Act 1973 was ultra vires of Article 6 of the Constitution, and should be stricken down.

Advocate Ghazi Illamud Din and Aziz Ahmed Awan had also filed petitions against Musharraf, over which the judge directed the law officer to take directions from the Pakistan government.

The petitioners also levelled 15 allegations against the former military ruler, including violence against lawyers and implicating them in false cases when they were protesting his November 3, 2007 act, killing thousands of Hafiz-e-Quran girls and boys during the Jamia Hafsa operation in Islamabad, compelling Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to accept charges of illegally selling nuclear technology, killing innocent people in the Karsaz incident in Karachi and ordering the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the former president had joined the United States in its war after the 9/11 attacks without the nation’s consent, and handed over innocent people to America. According to Advocate Ghazi, he had also made plans to kill former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto. (ANI)