Islamabad - Special Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad yesterday maintained non-bailable arrest warrants for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in judges’ detention case.
ATC Judge Sohail Ikram conducted hearing of the case and maintained Musharraf’s non-bailable arrest warrants by dismissing his application seeking exemption from appearing before the court. During the hearing, former president’s counsel submitted an application challenging court’s jurisdiction in this matter. However, the public prosecutor Aamir Nadeem Tabish raised objection over the application saying that Musharraf’s counsel submits new plea on every hearing and the accused himself does not appear before the court. Later, the court adjourned the hearing till September 19 on which both the counsels would submit their legal arguments in this matter.
Previously, the court had expressed its anger by terming the fresh medical certificate of Musharraf as fake.
Musharraf’s counsel Akhtar Shah had submitted a medical report of the former military dictator and requested the ATC judge to grant his client temporary exemption from appearing in court in judges’ detention case. He had contended that his client was ready to appear in the court provided his doctors allow him and the government provides him security. The judge, however, remarked that the former dictator has not appeared before the court for the last two years.
The current legal proceedings were initiated against Musharraf for detaining over 60 judges, including the former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, after his 2007 proclamation of a state of emergency across the country. The former military ruler is facing terrorism charges in the case, which was based on a FIR registered against him on August 11, 2009 by the Islamabad police for detaining over 60 judges, including former CJP.
In June 2013 the court indicted Musharraf in the judges’ detention case. According to the charge sheet, the military ruler had imposed a state of emergency and detained the judges. Fifteen lawyers had already recorded their statements as witnesses against Musharraf.
