Islamabad: A special court handling the treason trial of Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has ordered a fresh medical report about his illness and condition after he failed once again to show up for a hearing on Thursday.
The court told the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, where Musharraf is under treatment in the adjoining garrison city of Rawalpindi, to form a board of its doctors for his medical assessment and submit a report by January 24.
After receiving the medical report the three-member special court comprising high court judges will deal with points raised by the prosecution regarding failure of the accused to attend any hearing since the start of the proceedings in the case three weeks ago, the order said.
Earlier the former president’s counsel, Anwar Mansour, told the court at the onset of the hearing that his client was unable to attend the proceedings on account of his ill health.
The lawyer said doctors had recommended treatment abroad for the former head of state and army chief, who is barred from leaving the country, with the government placing his name on the official exit control list.
Chief prosecutor Akram Shaikh contended that Musharraf was staying away from the proceedings on one excuse or another and that the court should issue a warrant for his arrest and production before it for indictment.
Earlier this month, the court had examined a medical report about Musharraf submitted by the military hospital in compliance with its directive and summoned him on January 16, rejecting a plea by his lawyers that he could not appear due to his cardiac ailment.
The court had also warned that it would issue an appropriate order if the former army chief failed to appear.
Musharraf was taken to the military hospital in Rawalpindi after falling ill on his way to the special court on January 2. He was reportedly diagnosed with coronary artery disease, which his lawyers said required treatment abroad.
The treason case initiated by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif relates to the imposition of emergency rule and suspension of the constitution by Musharraf on November 3, 2007.
Musharraf is also facing trial in different courts over four other cases — the 2006 killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti, the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, detention of judges during the emergency rule and a mosque military operation in Islamabad.
Coinciding with the treason case hearing, an Islamabad-based antiterrorism court summoned Musharraf on January 27 in the judges’ detention case after dismissing a plea to exempt the former president from appearance.
Speculation continues in the country that ultimately Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan in March last year ending his self-imposed exile in an abortive bid to play his role in national politics, will be allowed to travel abroad as a result of some behind-the-scenes deal.
The former president and his supporters say the cases against him are politically motivated. His lawyers have challenged the legal status of the special court and accused Sharif of a vendetta over the 1999 overthrow of his government in a military coup that had brought Musharraf into power.
A member of Musharraf’s legal team, Ahmad Raza Kasuri burst out after a reporter asked him as to why a former commando general, who had vowed to fight charges against him boldly, was not appearing in the court.
“You are insulting military commandos,” Kasuri roared, calling the questioner an Indian agent.
Barrister Saif, another counsel of the former president, told the media that the defence team would draw up its future course of action after the submission of the medical report by Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology.
