Pakistan SC Upholds the Death Sentence of Late Military Ruler Pervez Musharraf in Treason Case

General Pervez Musharraf, the late military dictator of Pakistan, was given the death penalty in a high treason case by a special court, which was supported by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday.

After a protracted illness, Musharraf, the mastermind of the 1999 Kargil War and the nation’s last military dictator, passed away in February of last year in Dubai. The 79-year-old former monarch was receiving amyloidosis therapy in Dubai. He has been living in self-exile in the United Arab Emirates since 2016 in order to evade prosecution at home.

The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and was attended by Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Aminuddin Khan, and Athar Minallah. According to the Dawn newspaper, CJP Isa said, “The impugned passed on January 13, 2020, by the Lahore High Court (LHC) […] is not sustainable and accordingly set aside.”

The former dictator was sentenced to death on December 17, 2019, by a special court. The case stemmed from a high treason charge that was brought against him during the reign of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party for his “unconstitutional” decision to declare an emergency in November 2007.

This was the first time in Pakistani history that a military head was accused of something like this. The 2-1 judgment was challenged in court. The death sentence was abolished after the Lahore High Court ruled in January 2020 that all procedures taken against Musharraf were unlawful.

The Supreme Court set aside time earlier in November to consider appeals, one of which was from the late ruler. Appeals against Musharraf’s acquittal were then taken under consideration for further consideration.