Aamir Qureshi—AFP
Former president refuses to appear before court until ruling delivered over jurisdiction and impartiality of tribunal.
Lawyers for former president Pervez Musharraf on Thursday told a court hearing treason charges against him that the retired general needed medical treatment in the United States.
Musharraf is currently in a military hospital with a heart condition, after falling ill while traveling to the special treason tribunal two weeks ago. The 70-year-old has yet to appear in person before the three-judge panel, after missing repeated hearings due to security fears and the health scare.
“We have attached a letter with the documents from the doctors of a heart clinic in Texas and they have recommended that he should be shifted to that clinic for further treatment,” lawyer Masnoor Ali Khan told the tribunal.
Doctors at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, where Musharraf is being treated, have diagnosed him with coronary artery disease and his lawyers have suggested he should be treated abroad. There have been rumors for months that a deal would be struck to get Musharraf out of the country before the trial’s completion to avoid a potentially destabilizing clash between the government and the armed forces. But he remains under a travel ban, which government ministers have repeatedly said they will not lift. Musharraf himself has said he wants to fight and clear his name.
The court had ordered him to appear in person on Thursday, after considering a medical report on his heart complaint. But Khan said the former commando would not come to court before a ruling on defense objections over the jurisdiction and impartiality of the tribunal.
1 comment
His request for treat abroad should open eyes of the general public. He has been steering this country for more than a decade, and yet is considering good enough for his treatment. This is how our mighty rulers differentiate themselves from the general public. I believe, we public is equally responsible for the mess in which we are nowadays.