Dubai – Masaader News
Pakistan’s ex-president, Pervez Musharraf, has been sentenced to death, according to BBC.
The court sentenced him over a high treason charge that has been pending since 2013.
Gen Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 and served as the country’s president from 2001 to 2008.
He is currently in Dubai after being allowed to leave the country for medical treatment in 2016.
In November 2007, Gen Musharraf suspended the constitution and imposed emergency rule – a move which sparked protests. He resigned in 2008 to avoid the threat of impeachment.
When Nawaz Sharif – an old rival whom he deposed in a coup in 1999 – was elected prime minister in 2013, he initiated a treason trial against Gen Musharraf and in March 2014 the former general was charged for high treason.
Gen Musharraf argued the case was politically motivated and that the actions he took in 2007 were agreed by the government and cabinet. But his arguments were turned down by the courts and he was accused of acting illegally.
According to the Pakistani constitution, anyone convicted of high treason could face the death penalty. Gen Musharraf has been living in Dubai since 2016 and he has steadfastly refused to appear before the court, despite multiple orders.