Former Pakistan president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf seeks justice, says `high treason case baseless`

Former Pakistan president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has asserted the high treason case against him is "baseless", adding that his lawyer was not being heard by the court in the matter. The former Pakistani leader also said that he fought wars for Pakistan and served the country for a decade. "This case is baseless for me. I have fought wars for Pakistan and served my country for 10 years. Even my lawyer Salman Safdar is not being heard by the court," he said.

Musharraf is currently in a hospital in Dubai due to serious health issues. As per medical reports, Musharraf is suffering from the cardiac problem and having blood pressure issue, according to a Pakistani media. In a video message from the American Hospital in Dubai, Geo news quoted Musharraf as saying, "I am very unwell. It has been like this since a while, and I keep visiting the hospital. I had dizziness in the morning and I blacked-out. I don't know what happened after that."

Seeking justice, he further asked the commission, constituted in the high treason case, to visit him and he can give them a statement, which can be produced in the court and his lawyer too will be heard then. "As for me, the commission can come here, I can give them a statement. They can come and hear me, see my condition and then decide for themselves. When they return they can give their statement and my lawyer will be heard in the court too and then I hope I will get justice."

Since 2016, Musharraf has been living in a self-imposed exile in Dubai for "seeking medical treatment" and has not returned to the country since. He is wanted by authorities in connection to the high treason case filed against him. 

In November 2019, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stopped the special court from announcing the verdict in the matter. The order came before a special court was scheduled to announce the verdict on the basis of the available record. The IHC was hearing a petition filed by the Pakistan government seeking an adjournment of the verdict`s announcement.

A similar petition was also filed by Musharraf in the Lahore High Court. The court has also directed the government to notify a new prosecutor or a team of prosecution in the treason case by December 5. It has also asked the special court to fix a date "for affording a reasonable opportunity of hearing" to the notified prosecutor or prosecution team as well as the counsel appointed for Musharraf.

The special court on November 19 concluded the trial proceedings in the high treason case against Musharraf for declaring a state emergency on November 3, 2007. The trial of the former leader has been pending since December 2013 when he was booked in the case. Musharraf was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year. However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former president lingered on and he left Pakistan in March 2016 "to seek medical treatment. "The retired general was that year declared an absconder as he failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons and court directives issued to the Federal Investigation Agency to arrest him.