Former Pakistan President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Sunday said that he still had the backing of the army and described the high treason charge against him as “vendetta”.
A news report said Gen. Musharraf told the foreign media that the entire army was “upset” with the charge of high treason, adding that he had led the army from the front .
He also said that the feedback he had received from the army leaves him in no doubt that the army was backing him on this issue.
The government decided to proceed against Gen. Musharraf on high treason charges and constituted a special court to try him. However, he sought exemption from appearing after explosives and arms were found on the road near his farmhouse at Chak Shahzad on the morning of the trial on December 24. The court has summoned him on January 1 to read out the charges against him.
Gen. Musharraf reportedly said he had not decided whether to attend the court or not and also criticised the manner in which the special court was formed.
After the court hearing last week, Gen. Musharraf’s lawyers who had challenged the constitution of the special court, and the appointment of the public prosecutor had said the entire move was biased and he would not get a fair trial.
After he decided to come back to Pakistan he has been under house arrest, and charged with various cases, including the assassination of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Khan Bugti and Benazir Bhutto and the storming of the Lal Masjid. While he secured bail in all the cases, he cannot leave the country since his name is on the Exit Control List.
He had sought permission to visit his mother in Dubai but the Sindh High Court asked him to approach the federal government.
The government reportedly offered him a safe passage before the high treason trial began but his lawyer said he refused to leave.
It later offered to fly home his mother by a special air ambulance so she can be treated here and live with him.
Gen. Musharraf has been charged with issuing an unconstitutional and unlawful order on November, 3, 2007 at Rawalpindi as Chief of the Army Staff, called the “Proclamation of Emergency Order, 2007” which held the Constitution in abeyance.
