INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Pervez Musharraf has been residing in Dubai since leaving the country in 2016
(File)Islamabad: A three-judge special court formed by Pakistan's Supreme Court for conducting the high treason trial of former military
ruler and dictator Pervez Musharraf is set to resume its hearing early next month.Gen (retd) Musharraf, 74, who has been residing in Dubai
since March 2016 after leaving the county on medical grounds, is facing trial for subverting the Constitution on November 3, 2007.Lahore
High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Yawar Ali, who heads the special court, will stay in Islamabad or Rawalpindi from July 2 to 4 to hear the
treason case, 'The Express Tribune' reported.The high treason case was planned to be restarted earlier but one member of the special court
was abroad and hence the delay occurred.The special court, formed in November 2013 by the Supreme Court on the request of the former
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, had to be reconstituted as its former head and Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice
Yahya Afridi recused himself from hearing the case on March 29.On April 7, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar proposed a fresh
composition of the three-judge special court, nominating Ali as its head
Mr Ali is set to retire on October 22 this year.The former PML-N led government, however, did not notify the new bench during its tenure and
the caretaker government had to issue a notification after taking charge.Recently, the Supreme Court had summoned Gen (retd) Musharraf, who
has been living in UAE for two years, regarding his disqualification, but he did not show up prompting the top court to bar him from
contesting in the July 25 general elections.Besides facing a high-profile treason case, Gen (retd) Musharraf has been declared an absconder
due to his persistent failure to appear before the special trial court.The former president was indicted in March 2014 on treason charges
for imposing an emergency in the country which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of
over 100 judges.A conviction for high-profile treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.Gen (retd) Musharraf, who ruled
Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, has sought adequate security from the government for his return from the UAE to appear before the special
