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Musharraf drags former officers, leaders into trial

Former president Pervez Musharraf, facing trial for high treason, has in an application before a special court accused his erstwhile officers as co-conspirators for the imposition of Emergency on November 3, 2007, a media report said on Sunday.

If the plea is accepted, it would implicate a number of high-profile civilians and armed forces personnel in the treason trial, Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

Musharraf’s application recently filed with the special court said the civilian leadership and the military authorities who allegedly abetted him in the imposition of Emergency on November 3, 2007, should also be tried along with him.

Musharraf said he imposed the Emergency after consulting the then prime minister, the governors of all four provinces and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, the chiefs of the armed forces, the vice-chief of army staff and the corps commanders of the Pakistan Army.

“It is, therefore, imperative for this honourable court to seek the names of the above officials and supply the same to the accused... to try all the accused together. In the face of such omission, the trial shall stand vitiated,” Musharraf said in his application before the special court, according to Dawn.

The application claimed that the Emergency was imposed with the consent of then prime minister Shaukat Aziz, then Punjab governor Lt-Gen. Khalid Maqbool, Lt-Gen. (retd.) Ali Jan Orakzai, Governor Jan Mohammad Yousaf of Balochistan, and Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad.

The former president also named Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, until recently the army chief, who was vice chief of army on November 3, 2007, the plea stated.

Having succeeded Musharraf as the chief of the army staff on November 29, 2007, Kayani held that post for the next six years.

He was also the first chief of the army to receive an extension of tenure from a democratic government.

Kayani also held charge of the acting chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee for a brief period from October to November of 2013, the report said.

Gen. Tariq Majeed, who was sworn in as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff on October 8, 2007, was mentioned in the proclamation. Musharraf also claimed that then naval chief Mohammed Afzal Tahir may also be implicated in the trial.

Tahir took over the command of Pakistan Navy from Admiral Shahid Karimullah on October 7, 2005.

Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed was the chief of air force from 2006 to 2009.