Pakistan former president’s treason trial adjourned

The hearing of treason case against Pakistan’s former president, Pervez Musharraf, has been deferred until Thursday, reports say.

The three-member special court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court, announced on Wednesday that the hearing is adjourned until the following day over the prosecuting team’s appeal to summon the chief of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), for cross-examination.

The former military ruler was taken to a military hospital in Rawalpindi on January 2, after suffering chest pain on his way to special court on charges of high treason.

Musharraf had been summoned to appear before the special tribunal in Islamabad because of imposing emergency rule in November 2007, after failing to appear for two previous sessions due to security scares.

This comes as the former ruler was granted exemption from appearance at a Pakistani anti-terror court on Monday, after his medical report was submitted to the court by his lawyer Anwar Mansoor.

Monday’s hearing was over a case against the former over the detention of about 60 judges of the superior courts during the 2007 emergency.

Following the exemption, the case was postponed until February 10.

The former army chief also faces several other criminal cases going back to the 1999-2008 tenure, including the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, as well as restricting the judiciary.

A conviction ruling could mean death penalty or life behind bars for the ex-president.