Why I alone? Try others too, Musharraf tells court

Former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf has filed application before a special court asking it to try other military and civilian authorities behind the proclamation of emergency in 2007.

Islamabad: In a bid to stonewall his treason trial, former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf has filed an application before a special court asking it to try other military and civilian authorities behind the proclamation of emergency in 2007.
If accepted, the application would implicate a number of high-profile civilians and military personnel in the treason trial.

The application Musharraf recently filed in the special court, which has been established to try the 70-year-old former president for high treason, demands that the civilian leadership and the military authorities that allegedly abetted in the imposition of the November 3, 2007 emergency should also be tried along with him, Dawn daily reported.

The court is likely to take up the application during its next hearing.

According to the proclamation issued for the November 3 emergency, Musharraf imposed it after consulting the then prime minister, the governors of all four provinces and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee, the chiefs of the armed forces, the vice-chief of army staff and the corps commanders of the Pakistan Army.

"It is therefore imperative for this hon`ble court to seek the names of the above officials and supply the same to the accused...To try all the accused together. In the face of such omission the trial shall stand vitiated," says the application pending before the court, according to the daily.

Among the civilians and retired army officers, the proclamation claims that the emergency was imposed with the consent of the then former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the governors retired Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool of Punjab, retired Lt-Gen Ali Jan Orakzai of KP, Jan Mohammad Yousaf of Balochistan and Ishratul Ibad of Sindh.

Moving beyond the civilians to the army officers consulted, the most important name is that of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Dawn News reported.

He was Vice Chief of Army Staff on November 3, 2007 when Musharraf imposed the emergency.
Having succeeded Musharraf as the chief of army staff on November? 29, 2007, Kayani served at the post for the next six years.

The court had on January 21 hinted that more names can be added to the list of those responsible for issuing the November 3, 2007 emergency order.

Prosecutor Akram Sheikh had then said that Musharraf was put on trial because evidence was available thus far against him only.

In a recent TV show, Sheikh had said the trail could be finished soon as Musharraf is not saying he is innocent but want others to be tried along with him.

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