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  • Death Penalty: Timeline of Musharraf’s high treason case

    Death Penalty: Timeline of Musharraf’s high treason case

    The special court on Tuesday handed over the death sentence to the former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf after analysing the complaints, records, arguments and facts in the case for three months.

    The court ruled that it found Musharraf guilty of high treason according to Article 6 of the constitution.

    The special bench hearing the high treason comprised of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Waqar Ahmad Seth Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC). The bench was formed on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

    EXPLAINED: MUSHARRAF’S CRIMES, PUNISHMENT

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had in 2013 filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president’s imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

    Here is the timeline of the high treason case

    • July 22, 2009: The Supreme Court (SC) in an unprecedented move, calls Gen (r) Musharraf to defend his actions on November 3, 2007, following the president’s resignation after a nine-year rule on the country.
    • July 31, 2009: The SC rules that Musharraf’s decision to impose an emergency on November 3, 2007, as well as his PCO [Provisional Constitutional Order] were illegal and unconstitutional. The court gives him seven days to respond.
    • August 6, 2009: Musharraf refuses to answer the charges against him and leaves Pakistan for the United Kingdom (UK).
    • March 22, 2013: Musharraf plans to return to Pakistan after exile and gets a protective bail for 10 days in three high-profile cases against him.
    • March 27, 2013: Senior counsel A.K. Dogar, during a hearing pertaining to strict adherence to articles 62 and 63 during elections, refers to SC’s ruling on Musharraf’s actions on November 3, 2007. A.K Dogar argues that in overthrowing the constitution, Musharraf had committed the offence of high treason.
    • March 29, 2013: Sindh High Court (HC) grants an extension in bail for Musharraf, but rules that he cannot leave Pakistan without permission.
    • April 5, 2013: SC agrees to hear a petition seeking to prosecute the former military dictator under sections 2 and 3 of the High Treason (Punishment) Act 1973.
    • April 7, 2013: Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry withdraws himself from the three-member bench formed to hear the treason case against Musharraf.
    • April 8, 2013: Supreme Court summons Musharraf in the treason case against him. The court also instructs the interior ministry to add his name to the Exit Control List (ECL).
    • April 18, 2013: Musharraf after the cancellation of his bail application flees from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
    • April 19, 2013: The former president surrenders in a magistrate’s court in the judges’ detention case and his farmhouse residence at Chak Shahzad, Islamabad, is declared a sub-jail.
    • April 30, 2013: Peshawar High Court (PHC) bars Musharraf from ever contesting elections for either the National Assembly (NA) or the Senate.
    • June 5, 2013: IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui recuses himself from hearing former president’s post-arrest bail plea in the judges’ detention case.
    • June 14, 2013: Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid distances himself from the 2007 emergency. Zahid says there was no question of him having allegedly abetted Musharraf as the proclamation of emergency came from the former dictator’s person. The minister also denies having had any contact with Musharraf.
    • June 24, 2013: Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif tells the NA that his government will request the SC to try Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution.
    • November 18, 2013: SC, headed by CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry, agrees to set up a special board to try Musharraf for high treason.
    • November 19, 2013: The PML-N government submits five charges of high treason against the former military ruler in a special court. A three-member bench to hear the treason case is also formed.
    • December 12, 2013: Special bench summons Musharraf to face treason charges.
    • December 20, 2013: Musharraf, in an interview, seeks “forgiveness” for any wrongs he may have committed during his rule on the country for nine-years.
    • January 2, 2014: Musharraf is shifted to hospital after suffering a “heart problem” while on his way to a special court hearing of the treason case. His arrest warrant is not issued on medical grounds.
    • January 7, 2014: The Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) submits former army chief’s medical report to special court, detailing that Musharraf is suffering from “triple-vessel coronary artery disease and eight other diseases”.
    • January 16, 2014: Special court orders AFIC to constitute a medical board to assess Musharraf’s health and to submit a detailed report. The medical board subsequently declares Musharraf to be in a “critical state” and recommends his treatment at a place of his choice.
    • January 28, 2014: Prosecution expresses lack of confidence in former army chief’s medical report and requests court to summon the AFIC head for cross-examination.
    • February 7, 2014: Special court once again orders Musharraf to appear in the treason case.
    • February 18, 2014: Musharraf after avoiding 22 consecutive hearings, finally appears in special court, but no charges are framed against him as the defence argues that the case should be heard in a military court.
    • February 21, 2014: Special court rules that Musharraf is not to be tried in a military court.
    • March 30, 2014: The former army chief is indicted for treason and pleads not guilty to all charges.
    • April 1, 2014: The PML-N government offers to fly former president’s ailing mother to Pakistan from Sharjah.
    • April 2, 2014: The PML-N government rejects Musharraf’s petition seeking the removal of his name from the no-fly list.
    • April 3, 2014: Musharraf petitions SC for the removal of his name from the ECL so he may travel abroad to visit his ailing mother.
    • May 14, 2014: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) declares it has “irrefutable proof” that former army chief illegally imposed emergency in 2007.
    • June 12, 2014: SHC strikes down the government’s order barring Musharraf from overseas travel, ruling that “not a single ground was mentioned in the memorandum placing the former president’s name on the ECL”.
    • June 13, 2014: Special court rejects former president’s plea for details of “abettors” who had suggested, endorsed or implemented the 2007 emergency.
    • June 14, 2014: The government moves SC against the SHC ruling allowing Musharraf to travel abroad.
    • June 23, 2014: The apex court suspends the SHC judgment allowing former military ruler to travel abroad until it decides the pending appeal.
    • September 8, 2014: Musharraf’s legal team gets hold of crucial evidence pointing towards then prime minister (PM) Shaukat Aziz’s role in the imposition of the November 3 emergency.
    • October 15, 2014: Musharraf’s defence team asks the special court for a collective trial of all his accomplices.
    • November 21, 2014: Special court directs the federal government to resubmit its complaint in the high treason case, this time including the names of former PM Shaukat Aziz, former law minister Zahid Hamid and former CJ Abdul Hameed Dogar to the charge-sheet.
    • December 22, 2015: The former president says he invoked emergency after consulting Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani among other civilian and military leaders.
    • March 14, 2016: Musharraf seeks one-time permission to go abroad on medical grounds.
    • March 16, 2016: SC orders the fovernemnt to remove Musharraf’s name from the no-fly list, allowing him to travel abroad on medical grounds.
    • March 18, 2016: The former president leaves for Dubai to seek medical treatment, promising to come back to his “beloved homeland” in a few weeks.
    • May 11, 2016: Special bench declares former army chief an absconder in the treason case.
    • March 29, 2018: Special court dissolves after Justice Yahya Afridi recuses himself from hearing the high treason case against Musharraf.
    • April 7, 2018: CJ Mian Saqib Nisar reconstitutes special bench hearing Musharraf high treason case.
    • May 31, 2018: Interior ministry, complying with the special court’s orders, asks the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports to suspend former army chief’s national identity card and passport.
    • June 7, 2018: SC allows Musharraf to run for polls on the condition that he appear in person before the court.
    • June 20, 2018: Former president says he was set to return to the country but SC’s orders barring authorities from arresting him made him change his mind.
    • July 30, 2018: Prosecution head in the high treason case against Musharraf quits.
    • August 3, 2018: Special court decides to resume the trial which was delayed due to Musharraf’s departure from Pakistan — beginning August 20.
    • August 20, 2018: Musharraf citing threats to his life, seeks presidential security to appear before the special court in the high treason case.
    • August 29, 2018: Special court is told that Interpol refuses to issue red warrants for former army chief’s repatriation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he has been living since 2016.
    • October 2, 2018: CJ Saqib Nisar grills Musharraf’s councel on the “brave commando’s” overdue return to the country.
    • October 24, 2018: APML discloses that former president is suffering from amyloidosis and has difficulty standing and walking.
    • November 19, 2018: Court tells Musharraf’s lawyer to convince former president to return and provide his itinerary so the high treason case could proceed.
    • March 31, 2019: Supreme Court orders Musharraf to appear before the special court in the treason case on May 2 or lose his right of defence.
    • April 1, 2019: SC, under CJ Asif Saeed Khosa, issues a decree telling the special bench to proceed in the high treason case without Musharraf’s statement if he fails to appear the following month.
    • June 11, 2019: SC orders NADRA to unblock former dictators’s CNIC and passport.
    • July 30, 2019: Prosecution head in high treason case against Musharraf quits.
    • October 8, 2019: Special court decides to hear the high treason trial on a daily basis from October 24.
    • October 24, 2019: The Pakistan Terhreeke Insaf (PTI) government sacks the prosecution team in the high treason case.
    • November 19, 2019: The special court concludes its proceedings in the treason case against Musharraf, saying that a verdict will be pronounced on November 28.
    • November 23, 2019: Former army chief petitions the Lahore High Court (LHC) to challenge the reservation of the judgment in the treason case.
    • November 25, 2019: The case takes a new turn as interior ministry files a petition in the IHC requesting it to set aside the special court’s decision to reserve a judgement in the case without hearing from the prosecution.
    • November 26, 2019: LHC accepts for hearing former president’s petition challenging the special court’s decision.
    • November 27, 2019: IHC stops special court from announcing verdict in Musharraf high treason case.
    • December 2019: Special court says it will announce the verdict in the case on Dec 17. Former army chief moves the LHC to stay the trial at the special court until his earlier petition pending adjudication by the high court is decided.
    • December 17, 2019: Special court hands Musharraf death sentence in the long-drawn high treason case against him.
  • ‘Darkest time of my life’: Imran Abbas pens emotional note on father’s demise

    ‘Darkest time of my life’: Imran Abbas pens emotional note on father’s demise

    Imran Abbas penned an emotional note on his father’s demise, who passed away on Sunday, saying this was the darkest time in his life.

    “Perhaps this is the darkest time of my life…I lost my father, my strength, my backbone. I can’t stand up straight at the moment. Thanks for your messages and posts but I won’t be able to reply to them for a while,” Imran wrote on Instagram.

    “It’s like breathing bricks and with huge lump in my chest with lots of guilt of not giving him time, saying what I shouldn’t have said and not saying what I should have.”

    He continued, “Looking around for the echoes of his voice which I won’t ever listen again, the touch I’ll never feel again, his face which became a thing of past.”

    “Please value your parents because there is no one in this whole universe like them,” the actor asserted, “Give them love and time, that’s all they want. Otherwise we are just left with regrets and remorse.”

    Meanwhile, fans and collegues, including Meera and Reema, expressed their condolences and sent prayers for the deceased.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GXsmJH9XQ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

  • Explainer: Musharraf’s crime, punishment as per law

    Former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday was sentenced to death by a special court hearing the high treason case against him.

    The case was reigstered against the ex-dictator for imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2013 under Article 6 of the counstitution.

    Here is what Article 6 says:

    “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”

    The second clause of the article maintains that any person aiding, abetting or collaborating in the acts will also be considered guilty of high treason; while clause 2A states that an act of high treason cannot be validated by any court, including the Supreme Court (SC) and a high court.

    The last clause directs the parliament to provide for the punishment of persons found guilty of high treason, and according to the High Treason (Punishment) Act, 1973, the punishment is death or lifetime imprisonment.

    STATE OF EMERGENCY:

    On November 3, 2007, the then president and chief of army staff (COAS) Musharraf issued a proclamation of emergency, which held the constitution in a state of temporary suspension.

    While he later resigned as army chief 25 days into the emergency on November 28, the state of emergency and its responses are generally attributed to the controversies surrounding his re-election during the presidential election on October 6, 2007, including his holding of both offices of president and COAS at the time.

    Coming to power six years later, Nawaz Sharif had announced putting the former military ruler on trial for treason, saying the former president had committed treason by abrogating the constitution and should be tried under the law.

  • #ThankYouJinnah trends on Twitter as India attacks its own students

    As India enters another day of protests against Modi-government’s Citizen Amendment Bill, Pakistani Twitterati have taken to Twitter to thank Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah for creating a separate homeland for Muslims.

    Here’s what you need to know about the Citizen Amendment Bill that has now become an act and part of law.

    Slide right for details of the Citizen Amendment Act

    Modi’s government has called in troops to deal with the students, much like it has done in Kashmir. The internet has been shutdown and curfews have been imposed. Unarmed students were beaten in New Delhi and in Assam, three young men have been shot and killed.

    A Pakistani Hindu says that:

  • VIDEO: Bilawal, Bakhtawar go to the beach

    VIDEO: Bilawal, Bakhtawar go to the beach

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday took a break from his political activities to bond with nature.

    Accompanied by his sister, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Bilawal made his way to Hawke’s Bay Beach where he released 300 baby green turtles into the sea. According to details, Bilawal was very excited to touch the baby turtles who were hatched at the Marine Turtle Conservation Nursery of Sindh Wildlife Department.

    The Sindh Wildlife Department, along with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has been carrying out a sea turtle conservation project in Pakistan since 1979. Adults are tagged and the eggs collected from the beach are incubated in special enclosures at Hawkesbay and Sandspit. Hatchlings are weighed and counted at the Sindh Wildlife lab at the beach and the relevant data is gathered.

    Though adult sea turtles spend most of their lives in the oceans, they return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Every year in October and November, green sea turtles arrive at the sandy beaches of Sindh and Balochistan which are important nesting sites for sea turtles. The turtles lay their eggs there and leave after burying them. This is where the wildlife department steps in a takes care of the eggs, which are vulnerable and can easily be preyed. After an incubation period of about two months the youngsters hatch and scramble towards the water. Only one in a thousand survive to adulthood.

    Watch video of the Bhutto-Zardari siblings releasing sea turtles here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6KzzXdBLCN/

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar also shared her experience on Twitter:

  • ‘Saudi Arabia telling a nuclear-power what to do’; Twitter react to PM Imran’s Malaysia decision

    ‘Saudi Arabia telling a nuclear-power what to do’; Twitter react to PM Imran’s Malaysia decision

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has cancelled his scheduled visit to Malaysia reportedly after succumbing to pressure from Saudi Arabia and Twitter is not happy about it.

    According to reports, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi will represent Pakistan in the premier’s place at the Kuala Lumpur Summit scheduled for December 18-20, after a meeting between PM Imran with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh, during which matters related to bilateral relations were discussed.

    The Kingdom has reportedly raised serious concerns over the statement of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad, who had recently said that the Muslim countries at Kuala Lumpur Summit would form a new platform to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that he said had failed to deliver on issues faced by the Muslims across the world.

    Here’s what politicians and journalists among other Twitterati have to say about PM’s Malaysia decision.

    And many have termed the move “a failure of Pakistan’s foriegn policy”.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that after his Bahrain visit, the premier will travel to Geneva and return to Pakistan Thursday, following which a final decision regarding his Malaysia trip would be taken.

  • You’re invited! Iqra & Yasir reveal their wedding card

    You’re invited! Iqra & Yasir reveal their wedding card

    After the proposal of the year, Iqra Aziz and Yasir Hussain are all set to have the wedding of the year.

    According to the very fun and quirky wedding card shared by the couple on their respective social media handles, the two will be tying the knot on December 28 in an afternoon wedding. The official wedding hashtag is #IqYasirDaViyah.

    Though we have no information about who is going to be on the guest list, but we’re assuming there are going to be A LOT of people from the industry.

    Read More: Everything we know about Yasir Hussain and Iqra Aziz’s engagement

    Iqra and Yasir have been very public about their affection for one another and have almost always been spotted together. The two will also be appearing in two projects together: drama serial Jhooti and a feature film expected to release on Eid-ul-Fitr 2020.

  • Treason case: Gen (r) Musharraf handed death sentence

    Former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday was handed death sentence in the high treason case against him.

    The case was being heard by a a special bench comprising Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Waqar Ahmad Seth Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC). The bench was formed on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

    According to reports, the court, in its short order, said that it analysed complaints, records, arguments and facts in the case for three months, adding that it found Musharraf guilty of high treason according to Article 6 of the constitution.

    It was a majority verdict.

    TREASON CASE:

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had in 2013 filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president’s imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

    Earlier this year, head of the prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, tendered his resignation. In his resignation letter sent to the interior secretary, Sheikh expressed his inability to proceed with the case after the imminent change of government at the centre.

    Akram was appointed as the head of the prosecution in the case in November 2013, by the then ruling PML-N.

    Musharraf was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.

    On March 18, 2016, the former president left the country for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the exit control list (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

    A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his continuous inability to appear.

    Later, his passport and identity card were also cancelled on orders of the apex court.

  • Saudi Arabia ‘forces’ PM Imran to cancel Malaysia trip

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has cancelled his scheduled visit to Malaysia following his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh, The News reported.

    According to reports, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be representing Pakistan in the premier’s place at the Kuala Lumpur Summit scheduled for December 18-20, which will also be attended by notable Muslim leaders, including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

    “Saudi Arabia raised serious concerns over the statement of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad who had recently said that the Muslim countries at Kuala Lumpur Summit would form a new platform to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which he said had failed to deliver on issues faced by the Muslims across the world,” the report quoted sources as saying.

    Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Bahrain are perturbed over the expected presence of Qatari emir, Turkish president and Iranian president at the summit and fear a new but parallel leadership forum is being developed to undermine Saudi Arabia and its allies, it said.

    The report further claimed that the UAE has also raised its concerns over Mahathir’s statement and has requested Pakistan to avoid the Kuala Lumpur Summit that “may trigger a new controversy among the Muslim Ummah”.

    “PM Imran was also conveyed concerns by Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa over the intentions of the Kuala Lumpur Summit. The premier assured the royals of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that he would not be a partof any scheme being planned to undermine the Gulf leadership,” sources were quoted as saying.

    They said that UAE’s Emir Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had raised his concerns with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa three days ago on December 14 as well.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said decision about Imran Khan’s visit to Malaysia to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit will be taken according to national interest.

    She noted that after his Bahrain visit, the premier will travel to Geneva and return to Pakistan Wednesday, following which a final decision regarding his Malaysia trip would be taken.

  • Women’s museum to be set up in Islamabad

    The National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) and Higher Education Commission (HEC) have signed a principal agreement to set up a women’s museum in Islamabad.

    According to reports, the aim of establishing this museum is to preserve women movements throughout history and to provide a resource for newly enfranchised women to enter public life.

    The museum will support and protect education, research and training on the roles and contributions of women.

    NCSW is striving for the development of women’s libraries, museums and archives.