A day before a special court was set to announce its judgement in the long-drawn out case against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday prevented it from issuing the verdict.
If the former president, who abrogated the constitution twice, had been found guilty, he could have faced the death penalty.
On 19 November, the special court concluded trial proceedings in the treason case against Musharraf for declaring a state of emergency on 3 November 2007.
The High Court order came on a petition filed by the interior ministry which had requested it to set aside the special court's decision to announce its judgement in the treason case.
The court accepted the ministry’s petition and barred the special court from announcing the verdict. The court issued directions on a similar petition filed by Musharraf.
The federal government has been directed to appoint a new prosecutor in the treason case by 5 December. The special court has been ordered to announce its judgement after hearing all the parties.
Musharraf was indicted in March 2014, and the prosecution tabled the evidence before the special court in September the same year. Musharraf, who is living in Dubai in self-exile, left Pakistan in March 2016.
