Former Pakistan dictator Pervez Musharraf gets death in high treason case

A Pakistan court on Tuesday sentenced dictator Pervez Musharraf to death in a high treason case. This has happened for the first time in Pakistan's history that a president has been awarded a death sentence by a special court, according to Pakistani media, Dawn. A detailed verdict will be issued within two days, added Dawn.

The high treason trial of the former military dictator for clamping the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007, had been pending since December 2013 when he was booked in the case. He was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September 2014. However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former president lingered on and he left Pakistan in March 2016 "to seek medical treatment." The retired general was declared an absconder as he failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons and the court directive issued to the Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest him. 

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The former president is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he is currently undergoing treatment due to serious health issues. 

Earlier in December, speaking from the hospital, Musharraf had asserted the high treason case against him is "baseless", adding that his lawyer was not being heard by the court in the matter. The former Pakistani leader also said that he fought wars for Pakistan and served the country for a decade. "This case is baseless for me. I have fought wars for Pakistan and served my country for 10 years. Even my lawyer Salman Safdar is not being heard by the court," he said.

As per medical reports, Musharraf is suffering from the cardiac problem and having blood pressure issue, according to a Pakistani media. In a video message from the American Hospital in Dubai, Geo News had quoted Musharraf as saying, "I am very unwell. It has been like this since a while, and I keep visiting the hospital. I had dizziness in the morning and I blacked-out. I don't know what happened after that."