(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The special court tasked with hearing the high treason case against former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf has decided to conduct day-to-day proceedings from October 9.
The three-judge special court, comprising Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Yawar Ali, Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court, and Chief Justice of Baluchistan High Court Tahira Safdar, have resumed the proceedings in the case that has been pending since December 2013.
Though the court decided on Tuesday for daily proceedings in the case, there would be limited time for Chief Justice Ali to complete the trial as he is due to retire on October 22.
The judge remarked that despite evidence against the accused, there had been no progress in the trial proceedings for the last several months.
Prosecutor Naseeruddin Nayyar, on behalf of the interior ministry, sought adjournment since the head of prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, had already tendered resignation and the federal government has yet to appoint the lead prosecutor.
However, the court denied the adjournment request.
Chief Justice Ali suggested that the lawyer proceed with the case since he is also a senior prosecutor, to which Nayyar responded that since the federal government had sought time to appoint a lead prosecutor and did not issue instructions to him, he could not proceed.
He added, however, that since the court had directed him to lead the case, he had no option.
The court, however, granted the prosecution until October 9, when it would initiate day-to-day proceedings.
The special court further directed the interior secretary interior to apprise the court whether there was any way to extradite Musharraf who is now in Dubai since Interpol was reluctant to act.
The trial against Musharraf has been at standstill since March 2016, when the former ruler left the country following the removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
The previous Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government lodged a complaint against Musharraf in December 2013 for his extra-constitutional steps and holding the Constitution in abeyance on November 3, 2007.
The special court indicted Musharraf for high treason in March 2014.
The prosecution laid its evidence by September same year.
MENAFN1609201800670000ID1097439309
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.