Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given the go-ahead for a high-treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, sources said.
“The government will support a high-treason case against Pervez Musharraf for violating the Constitution,” said a senior Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader.
The Supreme Court had asked the erstwhile caretaker government whether it was interested in taking action against Mr Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution for high treason, but the interim government said its mandate was to hold the elections and the elected government would be in a better position to take such a decision.
Mr Musharraf had toppled the PML(N) government in 1999 in a military coup, ousting Mr Sharif as PM. In November 2007, he again imposed martial law, putting the Constitution in abeyance.
A Cabinet member of the Sharif government said in the Supreme Court treason case the government would support upholding the Constitution and the rule of law instead of saving the former dictator from trial for high treason.
A few days ago, newly-appointed attorney-general Munir A. Malik met Prime Minister Sharif to decide the government’s stance on the issue of Mr Musharraf’s trial. In its last hearing of the case, the Supreme Court had made it clear that it would implement Article 6 of the Constitution in the Pervez Musharraf treason case come what may.
The three-member apex court bench, comprising Justices Jawwad S. Khawaja, Khilji Arif Hussain and Ejaz Afzal Khan, had also observed that hearings would be decided in accordance with the law.