Pak court takes up Musharraf's plea against impending high treason case verdict

A Pakistani court on Monday directed Gen (retd.) Pervez Musharraf's lawyer to submit arguments regarding the maintainability of a petition challenging the verdict reserved by a special court against the former military ruler in the high treason case.

Lahore High Court Justice Syed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi directed Musharraf's lawyer Khwaja Ahmed to give arguments regarding the maintainability of the petition on Tuesday.

The special court had on November 19 concluded the trial proceedings in the high treason case against Musharraf for declaring a state of emergency in 2007 and had ruled that a verdict would be announced on November 28.

Musharraf, who is living in Dubai in self-exile, challenged the special court verdict in the Lahore High Court on Saturday and sought suspension of his trial in absentia.

His counsel contended that the reserving of the verdict on November 19 was "unconstitutional and void".

In his petition, Musharraf asked the court to suspend the special court's reserved verdict until he is healthy enough to appear before the court.

The high treason case against the former military dictator has been pending since December 2013. He was indicted on March 31, 2014.

Musharraf rushed to challenge the special court's verdict reserved against him in the high treason case after Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa hinted a "strong verdict" against him.

The treason case against Musharraf was initiated by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz had said that conspiracy against her father had begun soon after he decided to try Musharraf for high treason.

Sharif is currently undergoing treatment in London after securing bail on medical grounds in the AlAzizia Mills corruption case in which he was given seven years imprisonment.