The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Thursday denotified the prosecution team in the high treason case against former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf.
According to The Express Tribune, the prosecution team was hired in November 2013, during the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif.
The special court — hearing the treason case against Musharraf for violating Article 6 of the constitution — adjourned the hearing without any proceedings on Thursday and was informed that the government had dismissed the prosecution team, reports said.
The court was told that Reza Bashir — the government lawyer provided to the former dictator — was ill and was unable to attend the previous hearing.
The three-judge special tribunal also summoned secretary interior on November 19.
Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth asked the prosecutor if any notification was received, to which prosecutor Tariq Hassan said that he had not been notified.
“Can the prosecution team be dismissed in this manner?” asked Justice Waqar Ahmed. “I sat all night preparing for this case,” responded the prosecutor.
The court also asked to be informed under which law the prosecution team was denotified by the government.
Approving the lawyers’ request, the court gave Reza Bashir one more chance to attend the next hearing on November 19.
The former army chief, who took power in 1999, is facing a treason trial under Article 6 of the constitution as well as Section 2 of the High Treason Act on a complaint moved by the federal government.
Article 6 of the constitution deals with matters of “high treason” and states that “any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance the constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”
