DHAKA: A lawyer representing Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday the retired general would not make a scheduled appearance at his treason trial on Monday because of an ongoing illness.

The 70-year-old was rushed to a military hospital on Thursday after developing what a police official called a ‘heart problem’ while being taken to hear treason charges against him at a special tribunal in Islamabad.

Musharraf’s team says the treason allegations, which relate to his imposition of emergency rule in November 2007, are politically motivated and his lawyers have challenged the authority of the three-judge tribunal.

‘Everyone is aware of his sickness. The whole world knows that he is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and the court also knows that,’ lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri told media, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1500 HRS, JAN 05, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor