Pakistan Army expresses anguish over death sentence handed down to former president Musharraf

Pakistan's army has gone public and expressed its “pain and anguish” after a special court sentenced retired general and ex-president Pervez Musharraf to death. The military press unit said he “can surely never be a traitor.”

“The decision given by special court about General Pervez Musharraf, Retired, has been received with a lot of pain and anguish by [the] rank and file of Pakistan Armed Forces,” it said.

The distinguished military man, “who has served the country for over 40 years, [who] fought wars for the defense of the country, can surely never be a traitor," the statement continued, adding that “[the] Armed Forces of Pakistan expect that justice will be dispensed in line with [the] Constitution of [the] Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

It appears that Musharraf had been denied his fundamental legal rights in the process, which led to Tuesday’s verdict in the case against him of high treason, the statement, released by the army’s press unit, ISPR, asserts.

The former four-star general and president, who came to power in a bloodless military coup and ruled for almost a decade, stood accused of subverting the Pakistani constitution by declaring a state of emergency in 2007. A special three-member court declared him guilty and sentenced him to capital punishment. Musharraf was absent when the verdict was passed; he may appeal.

He is a divisive figure in Pakistani history. Critics call him a military dictator who may have facilitated the assassination in 2007 of his political opponent, Benazir Bhutto. Supporters see him as a venerable veteran who stood up to foreign and domestic threats and boosted Pakistan’s international profile.

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