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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Monday said former military ruler Pervez Musharraf would lose his right of defense in a treason case against him if he did not appear before a special court on May 2.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup and stepped down nine years later amid mass protests, was indicted for high treason in March 2014. In 2016, he was allowed to leave Pakistan for health reasons that his lawyer argued prevented him from standing trial on treason and other charges. Musharraf denies the charges and has since skipped all court hearings in Pakistan.
Musharraf faces the death penalty if convicted of the treason charges over his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007, when he was trying to extend his tenure.
The case marked the first time a former military officer of Musharraf’s rank appeared in court before a judge in a country where the military has rarely been challenged by either the government or the judiciary.
Local media extensively reported Monday’s hearing at which the top court warned that if Musharraf did not appear before the special court on May 2, he would lose his right to record a statement under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and the court would announce a verdict based on the prosecution’s arguments.
“A fugitive has no rights,” Justice Khosa was quoted by local media as having said in the courtroom. “High treason is not an average crime.”
Musharraf’s lawyer Salman Safdar avoided giving a personal guarantee that the former general would return but said that he wanted to appear personally and record a statement.