ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Former Military Dictator General Pervez Musharraf has been awarded Death Sentence for abrogating Constitution.
A Special Court in Islamabad on Tuesday awarded the death sentence to the former President and Army Chief Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case, an unprecedented verdict as never before in the history of Pakistan a military dictator was sentenced to death for abrogating the Constitution.
The sentence was awarded by a three-member bench headed by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth.
Pervez Musharraf was awarded the death penalty for suspending the Constitution, imposing the Emergency on November 3, 2007, and arresting the Judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
It took years to penalize the former military dictator as the first hearing in the high treason case against Pervez Musharraf took place back in December 13, 2013, and he was indicted on March 31, 2014. However, he was granted to leave Pakistan for medical treatment abroad and then never came back and never faced the courts.
Currently, the former Chief of Pakistan Army is in Dubai and receiving medical treatment.
It’s worth noting that the Special Court earlier had set November 28 as the date to announce its judgment in Musharraf case but the Interior Ministry under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), requesting it to bar the Special Court from issuing the verdict.
While accepting the ministry’ plea, the IHC stopped the Special Court from announcing its reserved judgement.
Opposition Welcomes Death Sentence of Pervez Musharraf
In response to the Musharraf’s death sentence, the Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted saying “Democracy is the best revenge. Jiye Bhutto”.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal welcomed the decision against the former military dictator, and said that it would halt the tradition of abrogating the Constitution in the future.
Ahsan Iqbal said that if that verdict had been announced 50 years ago, neither martial law would have ever been imposed in Pakistan nor the Country would have been deprived of its eastern wing.
72 سال میں پہلی بار جمہوریت کی بقا اور آئین کی بالادستی کے لیے تاریخی فیصلہ سامنے آیا ہے۔ آئین توڑنے کے مجرم کو سزائےموت سنانے سے جمہوریت آئندہ کے لیے محفوظ ہوگئی ہے۔ اب حکومت کی ذمہ داری ہے کہ پرویز مشرف کو وطن واپس لائے۔ باہر بھیجنے والوں کو بھی قوم کو جواب دینا چاہیے۔
— Siraj ul Haq (@SirajOfficial) December 17, 2019
