Pervez Musharraf sentenced to death by special court in Pakistan for high treason

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A special court in Pakistan, on December 17, sentenced former president Pervez Musharraf to death for high treason.

A three-member bench headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, handed the sentence in the long-drawn high treason case.

The high treason trial of the former military dictator, for clamping the state of emergency on November 3, 2007, was pending since December 2013.

The former Army chief left for Dubai for medical treatment in March 2016 and has not returned since, citing security and health reasons.

Musharraf (76) was booked in the treason case in December 2013. He was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year.

However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former military dictator lingered on.

In October, the special court was informed that the government had sacked the entire prosecution team engaged by the previous PML-N government to prosecute the high treason case against Musharraf.

(This story will be updated when more details are available)
(With inputs from PTI)