Pakistan: Premier, army chief discuss Musharraf ruling

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan's prime minister and army chief met on Thursday to discuss recent events following the conviction of the country's former military ruler by a special court in a high treason case, the country's army announced.

Major Gen. Asif Ghafoor, the director general of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) -- the army's media wing -- told a press conference in the city of Rawalpindi that Imran Khan and Qamar Javed Bajwa had taken the decisions to tackle the situation after the judgment of Pervez Musharraf, which would be announced soon.

Ghafoor said Bajwa conveyed the "reservations" and the "sentiments" of the armed forces over Musharraf's conviction.

"Today's detailed judgment has proved our reservations on the short verdict. The wording of the judgment is in clear contravention of the Constitution, law, traditional and even humanity," Ghafoor said, referring to the decision of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, who heads the special court, that even if Musharraf is found dead, "his corpse be dragged" to D-chowk square in the capital Islamabad, and hanged for three days.

However, the other two judges disagreed with this article of the ruling.

The three-judge special court issued its detailed judgment on Thursday, convicting Musharraf with a 2-1 majority for imposing emergency rule in 2007, subverting the constitution, and placing judges under house arrest.

Its 167-page verdict directed law enforcement agencies to capture Musharraf, who is currently seeking medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates and has failed to appear in court despite repeated summons in the high profile case which has dragged on for a decade.

"The army is not merely an institution but it's more like a family. We know how to defend the country, and the respect and honor of the institution," Ghafoor said, requesting Pakistanis "maintain their trust" in the army.

"We will not let anyone to create division in the country," he added.

Arguing that all "patriotic Pakistanis" were against the special court's judgment, he said: "A handful of individuals want to provoke us against one another."

"But we will not let it happen. We've rendered countless sacrifices for peace and stability in the country. We will not let it be reversed come what may," he added.

This is the first time in Pakistan's history that a military chief has been declared guilty of high treason and given a death sentence.

Musharraf is currently undergoing treatment for several health conditions.

His lawyer Salman Safdar vowed to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.

The government has announced it would file a reference against Justice Seth for his strong remarks.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, law minister Farogh Naseem said Seth has proven himself "incompetent and mentally unfit" for the job.

"We will soon move to the supreme judicial council against him," he said.

In March 2014, Musharraf was charged with high treason for implementing emergency rule and suspending the Constitution in 2007.

In August 2017, he was declared an "absconder" by Pakistan's anti-terrorism court in the verdict on the 2007 murder of Benazir Bhutto, a two-time prime minister.

Musharraf -- a former four-star general -- ran the country as president from 2001 until tendering his resignation to avoid impeachment in 2008.