Supreme Court Won't Try Musharraf for Treason

ISLAMABAD: Chief justice turned down a request on Thursday to launch a treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, saying the Supreme Court lacked the authority. Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's remarks could reassure both the fragile civilian government and military establishment, as they can ill-afford any fresh crisis at a time when the country is fighting a Taliban insurgency. ‘This is not the proper forum to initiate such case. We are not authorised to do so,’ Chaudhry told the court. Musharraf was forced to quit as president almost a year ago to avoid impeachment and has been living in London for the past two months. Hamid Khan, a lawyer who was at the forefront of a movement to oust Musharraf, asked a panel of 14 judges led by Chaudhry to begin treason proceedings on grounds that the general had seized power in a coup in 1999 and violated the constitution to extend his rule in 2007. Musharraf declared emergency rule in November 2007 and purged the Supreme Court of judges, including chief justice Chaudhry, who might have ruled illegal his re-election while still army chief. The court last week ordered Musharraf to explain allegations that he appointed new judges under emergency rule in violation of the constitution, but Musharraf and his lawyers have stayed away from the hearings.—Reuters

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