SC hears Musharraf treason petition

Former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf’s rocky return to his homeland continues on Monday as the country’s Supreme Court hears an application to have him stand trial for treason.

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Jawad S. Khawaja began the hearing of a petition brought by Taufiq Asif, president of the Rawalpindi high court bar association, seeking to try Musharraf for treason for imposing emergency rule in 2007, a move that ultimately paved the way for his downfall.

The retired general returned to Pakistan from four years of self-imposed exile last month vowing to run for parliament in the May 11 general election to “save” the troubled nuclear-armed state.

But his nomination papers were rejected in three of the four constituencies he planned to contest — running in multiple seats is not unusual in Pakistan — and he faces a barrage of legal cases.

Aside from this petition, Musharraf faces a number of other legal cases. He has been bailed over the 2007 killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and a Baloch rebel leader in 2006, and for sacking and arresting judges in 2007.

Source: The News Tribe