‘Very happy’: Ex-President Musharraf welcomes Pakistan court’s decision to overturn his death sentence, says health is improving
Pervez Musharraf, who until recently faced being executed over charges of high treason, has lauded the Lahore High Court’s decision to dismiss the case as unconstitutional.
“I cannot comment on it but the decision is really good, I am very happy that the judgement is as per the law and constitution,” Musharraf said, according to Pakistani media.
The former president, now undergoing medical treatment in Dubai, said his condition is improving. “I am grateful to all those who prayed for my health,” he said.
On Monday, Lahore High Court (LHC) nullified the death sentence given to Musharraf, ruling that a provisional tribunal which found him guilty of high treason was unconstitutional because the legislation it used could not be applied retrospectively.
The death sentence received a mixed response from the public, with some voicing unease over a provision to hang Musharraf’s body in front of parliament for three days, should he pass away before he could be executed.
A highly-divisive figure in Pakistan, Musharraf, who seized power during a bloodless coup in 1999, imposed a state of emergency and suspended the constitution in 2007 as he sought reelection as president.
Massive protests and the threat of impeachment forced him to resign a year later. His supporters still see him as a patriot and a staunch defender of Pakistani interests both at home and internationally.
The indictment dated back to 2013, when Nawaz Sharif, a rival whom he ousted in the 1999 coup, was elected prime minister. At the time, he initiated a treason trial against Musharraf which the former general claimed as politically motivated.
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