Musharraf needs treatment in US: lawyer

A lawyer for Pervez Musharraf today told a Pakistani special court conducting his treason trial that the embattled former dictator has been advised by his doctor to go to the US for medical treatment.

Musharraf, 70, skipped another hearing in the special court despite being warned to appear today and his lawyer Anwar Mansoor said his client could not appear because of ill-health.

"We have attached a letter with the documents from the doctors of a heart clinic in Texas and they have recommended that he should be shifted to that clinic for further treatment," Mansoor told the court formed to try Musharraf on charges of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007.

Mansoor presented a letter from Arjumand Hashmi, the US-based doctor of the former President, which recommended that Musharraf be immediately sent abroad for treatment.

Hashmi, who has treated Musharraf in the past, reportedly expressed concern over his heart condition and said he should be sent to Paris Regional Medical Centre in Texas for treatment. The doctor made the recommendation on the basis of medical reports.

The court reserved its decision on the issue of Musharraf's personal appearance and put off the case till tomorrow.

The former army chief is yet to appear in person before the three-judge court, having missed all the hearings because of security concerns and a health scare.

Musharraf was admitted to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi after he developed heart problems while being driven to the court on January 2. Doctors treating him at the facility have diagnosed him with coronary artery disease.

However, Mohammad Ali Saif, a key member of Musharraf's legal team, claimed lawyers had not made any request to send him abroad.