SC approves appeal against Musharraf’s sentence for hearing

Islamabad: The Supreme Court Friday accepted the appeal against the sentence of former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for hearing.

According to details, a four-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Atharminullah heard the appeals related to the sentence of late former President Pervez Musharraf.

In the appeal against the decision to declare the special court invalid, Hamid Khan appeared in the court while Abid Saqi appeared in the court on behalf of the Pakistan Bar Council, Rashid A. Rizvi on behalf of Sindh High Court (SHC) Bar and Salman Safdar on behalf of former President Pervez Musharraf appeared in the court.

At the beginning of the hearing, the Chief Justice said it is good that all the lawyers are here. There was speculation about the bench, ‘I want to clarify that I am not in favor of changing the benches’. Justice Mansoor has been included in the bench because he had heard the case in the past. I do not understand that the why cases of 2019 have not been decided till date.

Meanwhile, Pervez Musharraf's lawyer Salman Safdar stated: “After the amendment of the criminal law, an appeal was filed in the Supreme Court against the decision of the special court. The decision of the special court against Pervez Musharraf was not unanimous. He was sentenced in his absence”.

The Chief Justice asked Pervez Musharraf's lawyer that why his appeal was not numbered in the Supreme Court? On this, Salman Safdar replied that the registrar's office objected that an appeal cannot be filed without the surrender of the convict. The Supreme Court asked to set the appeal in the open court with objections in the chamber hearing.

CJP Qazi asked when the appeal was scheduled after the chamber hearing. Salman Safdar said that the appeal has been scheduled for hearing today after the chamber hearing. He did not say anything about why the appeals were scheduled so late.

Justice Qazi Faez said that if it is wrong it court’s end then say it, you are a senior lawyer. On this, Salman Safdar said that it is a fundamental right to hear the appeal before the execution of the death sentence. It was also requested in the chamber that the matter should be fixed in the court.

Later, the Supreme Court accepted the appeal against Pervez Musharraf's sentence for hearing.