Pakistan court revokes ex-ruler Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence

The former military ruler was found guilty of treason last year for suspending the constitution and imposing emergency rule in 2007

Musharraf, who is exiled in Dubai, slammed the sentence as a ‘vendetta’

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Pakistan's former president and military ruler Pervez Musharraf was sentenced to death in December, only to have the sentence overturned by a High Court in Lahore on Monday. Photo: AP

Published: 8:20pm, 13 Jan 2020Updated: 12:55pm, 14 Jan 2020

A court in Pakistan on Monday annulled the death sentence handed to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, ruling that the special court which had found him guilty of treason last year was unconstitutional.

The original ruling had marked the first time a former leader of the armed forces had faced such a sentence for treason in Pakistan, where the military maintains a strong influence and senior officers are often considered immune from prosecution.

It caused a wave of controversy, with Musharraf – exiled in Dubai – slamming it as a “vendetta” and the military expressing its disappointment.

Demonstrators carry pictures of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf during a protest against a special court's verdict in December. Photo: AFP

A High Court in the eastern city of Lahore ruled it “illegal” on Monday.

“The filing of the complaint, the constitution of the court, the selection of the prosecution team are illegal, declared to be illegal … And at the end of the day the full judgment has been set aside,” said the prosecutor representing the government, Ishtiaq A. Khan.