The hearing in the high-profile treason case against former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf was postponed on Tuesday till Wednesday after the judges failed to turn up due to a boycott called by lawyers over the brazen terror attack on a local court in Islamabad.
After a rare gun and bomb attack in the capital on Monday that left at least 11 people dead, including additional sessions judge Rafaqat Awan, and injured 25 others, the lawyer community had announced a call for strike. Registrar Abdul Ghani Soomro adjourned the case's hearing until Wednesday as special court judges did not reach court premises on Tuesday.
The defence and prosecution lawyers had informed the registrar of their mutual decision to seek excuse from appearance in the court on Tuesday due to lawyers' strike. Meanwhile, one of Musharraf's lawyers Ahmed Raza Kasuri said the special court had been constituted in the capital city, adding that the District Bar and the Islamabad High Court had announced boycott of court proceedings for a week.
Following the attack on Monday, there were security threats surrounding the special court, he said. He criticised the capital police and demanded strict action be taken against high-ranking officials. He said if weak security prevailed, then Musharraf would not appear in the court and they would have to request the special court to transfer the hearing of the trial to a safer location.
Kasuri said when Musharraf missed court hearings due to his concerns regarding security, he was made fun of but Monday's attack was an example of the lack of security they were talking about.
Musharraf is scheduled to appear before the Special Court on March 11. He is likely to be indicted on that day. This is the first time in Pakistan's history that a former military chief is facing trial for treason.
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