Musharraf treason case: Judges’ no-show due to insecurity

Islamabad: A three-member special court, formed to hear treason case against former Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf, on Tuesday did not conduct the hearing saying the judges did not feel secure.

“The three-member bench of the special court was a no-show for the hearing of the treason case against Pervez Musharraf, stating that the court was not secure”, said a court official.

Referring to Monday’s attack inside a district court in Islamabad, the judges told the registrar that the special court was also located in the same city and was not safe, therefore “they would not appear in court today”.

“Due to the absence of the judges, the hearing was postponed to March 5”, said the official.

Later, talking to reporters, Mr Musharraf’s lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said that the local bar in Islamabad has boycotted all legal proceedings in the city for a week. He stated that Mr Musharraf’s legal team will respect that boycott.

Mr Kasuri said that when Mr Musharraf missed court hearings due to his concerns regarding security, he was made fun of but Monday’s attack was an example of the lack of security they were talking about.

On Monday, two suicide bombers and their armed accomplices attacked the district court in Islamabad, killing 11 people, including an additional sessions judge, and injuring over two dozen others.