Islamabad: Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf today challenged the formation of a special court to try him for high treason, saying he had imposed emergency in 2007 as the army chief and could not be tried by a civilian court.
“We have filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court challenging the formation of the special court. They are not competent to try Musharraf,” Mohammad Ali Saif, chief of his legal team, said.
The move came three days before the 70-year-old former president was to appear before the special court.
This is the first time in Pakistan's history that a former military dictator is facing trial for treason. If convicted, Musharraf could face either life imprisonment or the death penalty.
“Being an Army officer, the Pakistan Army Act 1952 is applicable to him,” Saif told PTI, explaining why the special court was not competent to try Musharraf.
The writ petition said Musharraf took the decision to impose the emergency on November 3, 2007, while he was the army chief. It said the decision was not an individual act and hence cannot be tried alone.
The petition stated that the government is pursuing Musharraf's cases to further a political agenda.
