Pakistan’s government plans to begin impeachment of a judge, who handed death sentence to former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf.
Justice Waqar Seth was the head of a three-judge tribunal that announced the verdict on treason charges emanating from Musharraf’s suspension of the constitution in 2007 after several years of trial.
It was the first time that a military dictator in Pakistan faced a radical decision by a court in a country that had been ruled by powerful Generals for almost half of its existence.
Dpa reports that Law Minister, Farogh Naseem, said that the government would file an appeal in the Supreme Court to overrule the decision and begin impeachment of the judge.
The charges that nailed Musharraf were based on imposition of a state of emergency in 2007, when he was facing growing opposition to his rule.
The former dictator arrested and sacked the country’s top judges, including the Chief Justice, who challenged his decision to remain head of the army while also being president.
Musharraf also suspended all civil liberties, human rights and democratic processes from November 2007 to February 2008.
Protests across the country forced him to resign in 2008 to avoid impeachment.
