Pak Army chief visits Musharraf's battalion

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday made a symbolic visit to the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG) where former dictator Pervez Musharraf served as a commander.

Former President and military ruler Musharraf was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday for high treason following a six-year legal case. He has been living in Dubai since 2016 after Pakistan's Supreme Court lifted a travel ban allowing him to leave the country to seek medical treatment.

The powerful Pakistan Army has publicly backed Musharraf after he was sentenced to death for treason. The Army reacted angrily to the death sentence given to Musharraf.

Musharraf served in the elite SSG from 1966-1972. During the 1971 Pak-India, Musharraf was a company commander of an SSG commando battalion.

"SSG is our pride with myriad contributions towards defence of [the] country through its valiant officers and soldiers since the creation of Pakistan, Bajwa said during his visit to the SSG headquarters.

Bajwa during the visit also said armed forced brought stability in the country.

We have brought stability by failing all inimical forces operating against Pakistan. We shall never let it go away at any cost.

It was not clear if the visit of the army chief was pre-planned and coincidentally took place the very next day Musharraf was sentenced.

Following Musharraf's sentencing, the Pakistan Army said that its former chief Gen (retd) Musharraf can "never be a traitor" and the verdict against him has been received with "lot of pain and anguish" by Pakistan Armed Forces personnel.

"An ex-Army Chief, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee and President of Pakistan, who has served the country for over 40 years, fought wars for the defense of the country can surely never be a traitor," Pakistan Army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said in a statement.