Pakistan Court Meekly Annuls Musharraf’s Death Penalty
The Lahore High Court on Monday annulled the death sentence given to former military dictator Pervez Musharraf by the special court earlier in the high treason case against him, news agency AFP reported.
Following a dream of GRANDEUR or more probably due to a wave madness, a Special Session Court in Pakistan had ruled the death sentence to General Musharraf for his actions as President of Pakistan. Not only it sparked a wave of controversy among the legal community but it also surprised the politicians and the government. It was the first time a former leader of the armed forces was facing such a sentence for “treason” in Pakistan.
This judgement had the potential to seal the fate of the entire judiciary of Pakistan and even the politicians were shivering. Now there is a sigh of relief by everyone, probably even the military because the Lahore High court has now ruled the previous judgement illegal and added that there is no judgement against Musharraf any longer. Thus now the Army can just shelve its Action Plan which they must have planned for the situation.
“Yes, he is a free man. Right now there is no judgement against him any longer,” news agency AFP quoted the prosecutor representing the government, Ishtiaq A. Khan as saying.
“The filing of the complaint, the constitution of the court, the selection of the prosecution team are illegal, declared to be illegal… And at the end of the day the full judgment has been set aside,” Khan said.
Musharraf’s lawyer, Azhar Siddique, also told media outside the court in Lahore that it has “nullified everything”.
The prosecution now has the option to file a new case against Musharraf with the approval of the federal Cabinet.
In 2013, Musharraf was booked in the treason case for imposing a state of emergency in the country on November 3, 2007, and suspending the Constitution till the mid of December 2007.
He was handed down the death penalty by the special court on December 17 with a two to one majority.
Musharraf first took power after ousting prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999.
