https://www.rt.com/news/476448-musharraf-judge-hanging-ouster/
Pakistan govt seeks to oust ‘mentally unfit’ judge who ordered Musharraf’s corpse ‘be hanged for 3 days’
20 Dec, 2019 00:00 / Updated 4 days ago
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FILE PHOTO © REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Islamabad will ask a judicial authority to remove the head judge in ex-President Pervez Musharraf’s treason case, after the verdict ordering his dead body to be hanged in public sparked a backlash.
Musharraf, 76, was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday, after a three-judge panel found him guilty of treason for imposing a state of emergency and suspending the constitution in 2007.
The detailed 169-page judgement was released on Thursday, and immediately sparked controversy due to paragraph 66, buried deep in the text. Included by the president of the panel, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, the paragraph states that if the ailing Musharraf passes away before being executed, his dead body “(should) be dragged to D-Chowk [a square outside the Pakistani parliament], Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days.”
Also on rt.com PM Khan questions fairness of Musharraf trial, holds emergency meeting after death sentence
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government, which indicated it would side with Musharraf’s lawyers in the looming appeal process, came out swinging after the text was released. Law Minister Farogh Naseem denounced the bizarre order as an “unprecedented and despicable observation by the judge.”
Naseem said that the government would take the issue to the Supreme Judicial Council and ask it to strip the judge of his authority, as it believes Seth is unfit to carry out his duties.
"What sort of insanity was going through the mind of Justice Seth? You are supposed to uphold the rule of law, not the rule of the lynch mob," lawyer Hassan A. Niazi tweeted, while another legal expert, Zafar Zulqarnain Sahi, blasted it as the “worst para[graph] in judgement” ever made by a court.
Some argued that the inclusion of what some may see as vindictive language in the verdict could only increase Musharraf’s chances for a successful appeal.
"This deserves no place in any legal system. Also, if you’re into betting, you can make a good bet because of this, the case will be remanded," Lawyer Waqqas Mir tweeted.
Many netizens are up in arms over the wording – straight out of the Middle Ages…
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https://www.rt.com/news/476265-khan-musharraf-emergency-meeting/
PM Khan questions fairness of Musharraf trial, holds emergency meeting after death sentence
19 Dec, 2019 10:12 / Updated 5 days ago
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Imran Khan at the United Nations in Geneva. ©REUTERS / Denis Balibouse
The Pakistani prime minister held an emergency party meeting after a special court in Islamabad sentenced ex-President Pervez Musharraf to death. Imran Khan believes the trial was not fair, and the government is looking into it.
Musharraf, 76, was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday over his decision to impose a state of emergency, which the three-judge court ruled to be treason and a violation of the constitution. The Pakistani Army denounced the ruling, saying the former general cannot be a traitor.
READ MORE: Ex-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf slams his trial as ‘personal vendetta’ after receiving death penalty
PM Khan returned to Pakistan from Geneva, where he attended a UN conference on refugees, to chair an emergency meeting of his party’s core committee to discuss the unprecedented sentence. His spokesperson said the party leadership needed an “in-depth view of the court’s judgement” before taking a formal stance on the matter.
Two of Khan’s trusted aides were also sent to assure the Pakistani military that the government will have Musharraf’s back during the expected appeal process.
Late Wednesday, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor spoke to journalists, saying he “will defend the law in the case but not any individual.” He added that the special court did not give a fair trial to the ex-general. The prime minister also questioned the fairness of the trial.
“There is no question that a person who had committed treason must be punished but in this case the right of fair trial guaranteed under the Constitution was not ensured,” he said as cited by the newspaper Dawn. “A trial should not just be fair but also seen to be fair.”
Musharraf ruled Pakistan for almost a decade after staging a bloodless military coup in 1999. The 2007 crisis came as he was seeking re-election as president. Critics say the time of his leadership signaled a rollback to the times of military dictatorships in Pakistan, but his supporters see him as a patriot and a staunch defender of Pakistani interests both at home and internationally.
Also on rt.com Pakistani special court sentences former president Pervez Musharraf to death in high treason case
The charges of treason were brought against him in 2013, just has he returned to the country from self-imposed exile to take part in a general election. He was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 to seek treatment. Musharraf currently resides in Dubai, suffering from poor health.
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Pakistan govt seeks to oust ‘mentally unfit’ judge who ordered Musharraf’s corpse ‘be hanged for 3 days’
20 Dec, 2019 00:00 / Updated 4 days ago
Get short URL
FILE PHOTO © REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
- 58
Islamabad will ask a judicial authority to remove the head judge in ex-President Pervez Musharraf’s treason case, after the verdict ordering his dead body to be hanged in public sparked a backlash.
Musharraf, 76, was sentenced to death in absentia on Tuesday, after a three-judge panel found him guilty of treason for imposing a state of emergency and suspending the constitution in 2007.
The detailed 169-page judgement was released on Thursday, and immediately sparked controversy due to paragraph 66, buried deep in the text. Included by the president of the panel, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, the paragraph states that if the ailing Musharraf passes away before being executed, his dead body “(should) be dragged to D-Chowk [a square outside the Pakistani parliament], Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days.”
Also on rt.com PM Khan questions fairness of Musharraf trial, holds emergency meeting after death sentence
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government, which indicated it would side with Musharraf’s lawyers in the looming appeal process, came out swinging after the text was released. Law Minister Farogh Naseem denounced the bizarre order as an “unprecedented and despicable observation by the judge.”
Naseem said that the government would take the issue to the Supreme Judicial Council and ask it to strip the judge of his authority, as it believes Seth is unfit to carry out his duties.
The order to parade Musharraf’s corpse has sent waves across Pakistan, drawing condemnation from the Pakistani legal community and netizens alike. Some legal experts argued that while the judgment might have been warranted, the all too specific hanging instructions have put the “historic” verdict in jeopardy, robbing it of its value.
"What sort of insanity was going through the mind of Justice Seth? You are supposed to uphold the rule of law, not the rule of the lynch mob," lawyer Hassan A. Niazi tweeted, while another legal expert, Zafar Zulqarnain Sahi, blasted it as the “worst para[graph] in judgement” ever made by a court.
Some argued that the inclusion of what some may see as vindictive language in the verdict could only increase Musharraf’s chances for a successful appeal.
"This deserves no place in any legal system. Also, if you’re into betting, you can make a good bet because of this, the case will be remanded," Lawyer Waqqas Mir tweeted.
Many netizens are up in arms over the wording – straight out of the Middle Ages…
Others pointed out that the hanging recommendation was not part of the court order, but the panel leader’s comment that somehow made its way into the final judgment.
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https://www.rt.com/news/476265-khan-musharraf-emergency-meeting/
PM Khan questions fairness of Musharraf trial, holds emergency meeting after death sentence
19 Dec, 2019 10:12 / Updated 5 days ago
Get short URL
Imran Khan at the United Nations in Geneva. ©REUTERS / Denis Balibouse
- 14
The Pakistani prime minister held an emergency party meeting after a special court in Islamabad sentenced ex-President Pervez Musharraf to death. Imran Khan believes the trial was not fair, and the government is looking into it.
Musharraf, 76, was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday over his decision to impose a state of emergency, which the three-judge court ruled to be treason and a violation of the constitution. The Pakistani Army denounced the ruling, saying the former general cannot be a traitor.
READ MORE: Ex-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf slams his trial as ‘personal vendetta’ after receiving death penalty PM Khan returned to Pakistan from Geneva, where he attended a UN conference on refugees, to chair an emergency meeting of his party’s core committee to discuss the unprecedented sentence. His spokesperson said the party leadership needed an “in-depth view of the court’s judgement” before taking a formal stance on the matter.
Two of Khan’s trusted aides were also sent to assure the Pakistani military that the government will have Musharraf’s back during the expected appeal process.
Late Wednesday, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor spoke to journalists, saying he “will defend the law in the case but not any individual.” He added that the special court did not give a fair trial to the ex-general. The prime minister also questioned the fairness of the trial.
“There is no question that a person who had committed treason must be punished but in this case the right of fair trial guaranteed under the Constitution was not ensured,” he said as cited by the newspaper Dawn. “A trial should not just be fair but also seen to be fair.”
Musharraf ruled Pakistan for almost a decade after staging a bloodless military coup in 1999. The 2007 crisis came as he was seeking re-election as president. Critics say the time of his leadership signaled a rollback to the times of military dictatorships in Pakistan, but his supporters see him as a patriot and a staunch defender of Pakistani interests both at home and internationally.
Also on rt.com Pakistani special court sentences former president Pervez Musharraf to death in high treason case
The charges of treason were brought against him in 2013, just has he returned to the country from self-imposed exile to take part in a general election. He was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 to seek treatment. Musharraf currently resides in Dubai, suffering from poor health.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
