Pakistani ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf went on trial for treason, a case that could test the relationship between an increasingly assertive civilian government and the army.
Musharraf faces the 70 death penalty over his delay of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007 when Musharraf was trying to extend his rule as president in the face of growing opposition.
Musharraf did not appear in the court and says that the trial is a politically motivated vendetta. His lawyer Anwar Mansoor argued that Musharraf cannot get a fair trial in Pakistan because of his history of disputes with the judiciary and the contribution of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whom he once overthrew in a takeover.
Musharraf ousted Sharif in a accomplishment in 1999. Sharif was jailed for a period and then forced into exile. He returned eight years later and won a landslide victory in a May general election.
According to the lawyer, “He did not appear on Wednesday”
Musharraf was returned to Pakistan in last year and hoping to contest election. Instead, he was disqualified from standing and trapped in a web of legal cases, repeatedly charged and bailed.
In the recent days Musharraf has said to the media interviews that the whole army supported him and was upset about his treatment.
The military is Pakistan’s most powerful institution and it has ruled the country for more than half its history since independence in 1947.
But in recent years the civilian government and judiciary have both become more self-confident. Top military officers have been questioned although not convicted in human rights and corruption cases.
According to the retired general Talat Masood, “The military leadership has given no indication it intends to intervene in the trial of Musharraf who was likely to be overstating the army’s support for him to help with his legal troubles.
Musharraf Goes on Trial for Treason, Pakistan’s ex-military Superior
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