ISLAMABAD: Former president general (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Thursday challenged the death sentence, announced by the special court against him, in the Supreme Court.

The plea filed by Pervez Musharraf has made the federal government and the special court parties in the high treason case. He has pleaded to the court to annul the special court verdict. Expressing dissatisfaction over the special court’s Dec 17, 2019, verdict, he claimed that the special court six times violated the constitution while completing the trial of the case against him.

Also Read: LHC declares establishment of special court against Musharraf unconstitutional

The 65-page application filed by Advocate Salman Safdar on behalf of his client read the convict was not given a right to fair trial, while formation of special court was also unconstitutional. Pervez Musharraf also said that an approval was not sought from the federal cabinet for proceeding of the high treason case.

On Jan 13, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had declared establishment of the special court against former president general (retd) Pervez Musharraf in high treason case unconstitutional, which left the death sentence verdict announced by it null and void.

The high court had also declared Criminal Law Amendment (Special Court) Act, 1976’s clause iv defunct. The court had said this while announcing its verdict in the petition filed by Musharraf, challenging legality of establishment of the special court which announced death sentence against him in December last year for his role in alleged high treason.

The court had said viewing the facts in the case, Musharraf could not even be implicated into charges let alone announcing death sentence against him. “The ruling of two judges was based on distorted facts,” it had said referring to the special court verdict.

The later amendment in Article 6 could not be implemented on an act committed in the past, the LHC had said.

A three-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Naqvi, Justice M Ameer Bhatti and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir were hearing the case.