The Pakistan government on Thursday abruptly dismissed the prosecution team in the treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, prompting the court to express its displeasure, according to a media report.
The prosecution team was hired in November 2013, during the tenure of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.
A special court, which was hearing the treason case against the ailing 76-year-old former president, adjourned the session without any proceedings on Thursday and was informed that the government has dismissed the prosecution team, the Express Tribune reported.
The three-judge special tribunal led by Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth was also informed that the government lawyer provided to Musharraf was unwell and was unable to attend the previous hearings, the report said.
Justice Seth asked prosecutor Tariq Hassan if he received any notification regarding the dismissal, to which he replied in negative and said, "I sat all night preparing for this case."
"Can the prosecution team be dismissed in this manner?" asked Justice Seth.
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The court asked to be informed under which law the prosecution team was de-notified by the government and fixed November 19 as the next date for hearing.
Musharraf, who has been living in Dubai since March 2016, is facing the treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014. A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.
He suffers from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by the build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues in the body, and is under medication.
Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, has been declared a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto assassination and the Red Mosque cleric killing cases.
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