Pakistani Special Court Sentences Former President Pervez Musharraf To Death

Riyaz Patel

Pakistan’s former president, General Pervez Musharraf has been sentenced to death in a high treason case. The retired general was tried in absentia after leaving the country several years ago to undergo medical treatment.

The special court in Islamabad backed capital punishment in a split 2-1 vote. Musharraf, who held the power in Pakistan for a decade, was accused of subverting the Pakistani constitution to stay in power.

The court announced its verdict Tuesday after a weeks-long delay as the Pakistani government and Musharraf’s defense team made last-ditch attempts to prolong the case which was launched in 2013.

The decision is subject to appeal.

Earlier Musharraf complained from a hospital bed in Dubai, where he’s been living in recent years, that his trial was unfair.

He urged the court to take a statement from him at the hospital and confirm the state of his health.