Petitioner asked to explain higher court's jurisdiction

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court has directed petitioner-lawyer Ilam-ud-Din Ghazi to explain the question whether or not superior courts can order registration of high treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf. Hearing the constitutional petition of advocate Ilam-ud-Din Ghazi, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that starting high treason proceedings against any person under Article 6 of the Constitution is primarily the jurisdiction and prerogative of the federal government. He issued one-week notice to the petitioner lawyer, asking him to argue on courts jurisdiction regarding proceedings under Article 6 of the constitution. Petitioner has levelled 15 allegations against Musharraf pleading for case registration against him. He submitted that former army chief had sabotaged the Constitution violated his oath of office and dissolved the elected government only to save his skin as well as to come in power illegally. Besides this, Musharraf violated the constitution by preventing judges of the Supreme Court and four High Courts from performing their judicial work and detained Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry along with his children. According to the petitioner when the lawyers launched a movement for restoration of the judiciary, they were tortured and even false criminal cases were instituted against them. Gen (r) Musharraf also forced Dr Abdul Qadir Khan to confess the allegation for selling of nuclear technology, which earned bad name to the country. He said during regime of former president thousands of Hafiz-e-Quran girls and boys were killed through the used phosphorus bombs during operation against Jamia Masjid Hafsa, Islamabad. The petitioner also alleged that Musharraf was involved in Karsaaz incident in Karachi, further accusing that Musharraf ordered murder of Akbar Bugti besides threatened his family members to die or leave the country. Musharraf also joined US war after 9/11 without the consent from the nation and also handed over the innocent citizens from Muslim country to America to complete their nefarious designs. Petitioner Lawyer alleged that Musharraf also made a plan to kill Benazir Bhutto. He stated that according to statement of Ch Shujaat Hussain president Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Musharraf also committed series of heinous crimes. He stated that Musharraf was also responsible for abducting Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Petitioner requested that the federal government should be directed to lodge a case against Musharraf under Article-6 of the constitution and bring him in the court to answer for his wrong doings. Showers likely from Tuesday Local Met office has forecast some more rains followed by duststorms from Tuesday as a westerly system enters the country. Director Muhammad Ajmal Shad said that light to moderate showers were expected in Rawalpindi, Sarghoda, Multan, DG Khan, Peshawar and Malakand divisions. However, most parts of the country would remain dry and hot. To a question,the weather expert said that dust storms are likely in areas where wheat harvesting is in progress and cautioned the growers in this regard. In the provincial capital the maximum temperature on Monday was recorded as 39 degree Celsius and 23.8 degree minimum.

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